Hunter
by Captain Kokomo
Summary: This is a work in progress. I would love some feedback and advice. This is a story about a boy raise as a human but discovers he is anything but human. He has the ability to change his body at will into the form of a demon. He was raised by good people and now hunts the demons that he shares a heritage with. Now war has started he fights his creator also.


**Prologue**

Thoughts, ideas and stories are preserved for posterity, for those among us that feel the overwhelming desire to read them with great repetition in hopes to enrich their own lives.

These are the people that more often than not go unnoticed and find reward in the keepings of these words. However when a civilization falls, it is to these people we look to Recover what we fear losing most. Our identity as a people, weather you realize it or not, is something that holds us stable and grounds our morality. Even our own ideal of ethics is governed by the perception of who we are. Most of the time.

The way in which these words are kept and recorded may have taken many forms during what we see as recorded history, this much is true. The words themselves may have changed, often so slowly so as to go unnoticed. The one constant that should forever remain true is the story behind the words. "Best recollection" can often lead to "best interpretation". Best interpretation is best described as a virus of the mind, a mind can see something in those words that isn't really there and then the idea can spread and grow. The force behind the interpretation now had the power of a natural disaster and can do as much damage.

This story is not based on recollection or interpretation. This story has its groundings in fact. This is a story about an identity that does not conform to the socially perceptible idea of the well-adjusted individual. This is a story about a life that started out normal, nothing worth writing about. My beginnings however, led me to this existence and after my experiences I believe my story can indeed offer that enrichment that some crave and possibly entertain others enough for them to stay till the end.

I offer to you this story in hopes that lessons might be learnt. It's conceivable that this may also lead to inspiration in one form or another. Whatever your reasons, I hope this will be worth your precious time it takes to finish it.

Before I actually start this story, the question needs to be asked. What would you do if everything you know was wrong? If you learnt that more than one level of existence was laid upon the one you look out of the window and see. What would you do?

This is what I did.

Chapter 1.

Her name was Christine and when she had found me she was middle aged, she held her youth very well and looked younger than she was. In those times such a woman was never without a strong man to look after her. Obviously time changes some social convention. Two cycles before I came along Christine lost her husband, James, to the crown. Men on horses and dressed in finery toured the country on what they called an offer of unique opportunity. My mother told me about James. He was a sensible man that always thought things through before making any decisions. He was not a man that wanted anything he could not provide for himself. James was tall and strong, being a farmer he was tanned and his dark chocolate brown shoulder length hair and dark brown eyes were his best qualities, according to my mother.

"Your father's life was turned upside down when I came into his life" she would tell me that she always thought of James as my father even if it was clearly not a possibility. I never questioned it. James sounded like a man I would have admired and respected. I would have been proud to call him my father.

However, I am getting side tracked. Little did the people of the lucky villages realize that if the men declined the ever so generous offer to be gainfully employed by these pompous men in their finery, sundown began the draft and every able bodied man and boy strong enough to hold a weapon was rounded up and strongly encouraged to fight and possibly die for the crown. Those lucky enough not to live in a town were spared the privilege. Mostly a good thing as they were the farmers that fed the world at the time. James had decided to go into town that night saying something about not having a good feeling about the men that had appeared in town that day. He was talking about convincing his friends to stay at his farm for a couple of days. He never came home. So then Christine was alone. Her sensibilities would never let her wallow in an ever growing pit of despair. That was simply not an option that she would accept. As I mentioned, this is the woman that had been a rock to me. She allowed herself a time to process what had happened and feel the pain of loss. She did however, forever hold out that last glimmer of hope that James would return. However in truth knowing it won't happen.

Although I do not know how I came into this world or recall who my parents were, my childhood was not altogether unpleasant. I always had a warm place to sleep and rarely went hungry. Of course there were times when the harsher than usual winters claimed more than a fair share of our food stores. We always had a backup plan and always had something to eat. The person kind enough to raise an abandoned child was my rock and support to whom I credit my existence. She was as much a mother to me as any woman could be without actually having given birth to me.

So this is where I came into her life it was about ten cycles later, she was taking some produce to the market in the next town. The road was still just a dirt track at that time and none too comfortable to travel. There was also thick mud at this particular part as the previous night's storm water was still making its way off the looming cliffs on either side of the road. Deciding to give the poor horse a rest after slogging through the morning with the mud she stopped the loaded wagon near an outcrop that was set back from the road a short way. Still being seen from the road it was an ideal spot for a meal.

This meal would be more interesting than any other Christine has had. As it happens I was already in her chosen rest stop. My mother being the stable and level headed woman she was, told me later surprise did not register in her mind that day. She described it as more of an overwhelming relief to see that I was unharmed and in fact looked to be happy to see her. I was only very small, perhaps just past my first birthday and healthy in every way. The reasoning behind my apparent abandonment will be revealed later on in the story. For now let us continue on with the "happily ever after" frame of mind. As I said, my childhood was not altogether unpleasant.

My mother relayed to me when I was old enough to understand, the truth about my discovery. Honesty was something that she held in high esteem and had always did her best to instil into my personality. She had varying levels of success as time went on. However I do remember the conversation very clearly after this long. It never changed how I felt about the woman that gave me a life when most of the world would have rather seen someone like me destroyed. Once again, I will elaborate more on that later.

Growing up on a farm there was plenty to get me into some mischief, one winter I had decided to see how the snow would cushion my fall and I remember piling up a small mound of the powder next to the barn. It was a large barn with a hay loft. There was a second story window that I had decided to use as a lunching position. I remember the exhilaration as I hurled my young body out of that window aiming for the pile of snow that seemed to have shrunk now that I was approaching it rather fast. I remember turning my head and closing my eyes just as my mother opened the front door of the cottage to see me impact that rather small pile of snow. Of course she knew I would be ok, don't get me wrong it hurt like nothing else, but I seemed to be a very sturdy child. Now being relatively unharmed did not mean that I was in any less trouble. She marched over with a stern look and grabbed a handful of my hair and marched me into the house. I got a lecture and was made to do all the household chores for the whole season. We visited Wingers Post often, my mother had always wanted to live closer to town and sell the crops in a store. The town was growing by then and she would never have to go on long trips to markets.

My mother always tried to teach me the honourable things and encouraged the right way of thinking in me. We let travellers use our barn if they were passing through. There was one particular traveller, that didn't say much and was gone before light the next day. He was dressed in dark robes and always had his hood up. I could not stand to be near him. He sent shivers up my spine.

I believe I was in my twelfth or thirteenth cycle with Christine when we were on our return journey from another market where we had made a decent profit. Due to her no nonsense attitude and strong sensibilities her mood was always very subtle. I on the other hand was gifted a quick mind and an avid sense of perception that would rival the empathic holy men of the Cralloc Mountains. I had picked up on the subtle levity in her voice and knew the profits had eased her mind. "Do you think we have enough coin to buy a house closer to town mother?" I asked a little tentatively. At that I saw a subtle tighten of her jaw, which alone would not draw much attention however I also remember a tightening of her pupils which made me think she didn't want to talk about the subject.

My curiosity however begged me to probe deeper. She recovered her expression "We have all we need in our own little family dear, we don't really need to move closer to Wingers Post do we?" She was not going to get out of it this easily "I would like some friends my own age mother and they all live closer to town". Her subtle irritation had returned more pronounced this time "We will get you a braldo to play with". Although I was still young enough to be excited by the thought of an animal companion to play with I still noticed the shortness with which she delivered her reply. Braldo were excellent companions for hunting, their long flexible bodies were suited well for weaving in and out of underbrush and rough terrain. The thing I love most about the braldo is that it can change the color of its fur, albeit taking a couple of days to complete. It's a nifty little trick.

Full grown ones I had heard can stand on all fours as tall as a man's waist.

"Your brighter than I give you credit for my sweet boy". My thoughts bought back from future hunting trips with my new friend at her words. "I know" I said as I beamed my most charismatic little smile back at her. "How do you know I am?" After her smile had faded back and let the look of consternation come to the surface she put her arm around me. "There is something quite important that you need to know about me my sweet boy" now pulling the cart to the side of the road, "and this would be the perfect place for it".

As I looked around I tried to work out why this place? Then I saw it, those cliffs on each side of the road, the outcrop of rock. "I have been here before haven't I?"

"Yes, you have" was her solemn reply.

I followed her through the knee high grass towards the outcrop. It seemed so small and lonely now. "This is where you came into my world and gave me purpose again" there was a small fire pit against the rock at the back. "Is this where I was born?" Strange that I never actually asked that question before or even wondered about it. I simply felt that I belonged with my mother and nothing else was important. "My love" she paused, "My sweet boy" she lifted her hand to my chin to lift my gaze to hers. That was one of the few times I remember seeing tears in her eyes and that perplexing combination of pain and love that only a mother can have radiate from her eyes. "I found you here" At the time my young mind was going through a myriad of thoughts and emotion. I had to pull it all into focus. "It is probably a good thing that you did, I'm pretty clever but I don't know that I could have found you myself" I shone her the smile I knew always made her laugh, this time it made her pull me to her and squeeze so tight, I put my arms round her neck and kissed her cheek. "My sweet little boy" she said as she pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes.

We stayed there for the night and got up early. Although mother never seemed to be in a hurry she was always doing her best to get things done without fuss and quickly. This is something she always encouraged me to do, quite often when it was time to get out of bed on a cold morning I might add. The winter went by pretty quickly that year and when the flowers started to bloom again and the grass started poking through what was left of the snow.

Chapter 2

One warm morning after breakfast I decided to remind my mother of the promise of a Braldo she made at the end of summer. "You know mother, Jaxxon is probably still waiting for me" trying my best to sound casual. "I expect that Jaxxon is" she replied in a neutral tone. She always knew what I was talking about, I mentioned it enough. "Well do you think we should go and get him?" I grinned back at her. She put down her sewing and gave me her 'you're not going to let this go, are you?' look. She had lots of looks and I got pretty good at reading them all. "Thank you mother!" I ran and hugged her and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Go and get your coat, I think Ben's braldo is probably due to have her cubs. Ben had a small Chuloc farm not far from us. Chuloc were my favourite to have for dinner, I could eat 5 or 6 of them easily. I never used to like having to prepare them. All those little feathers were hard to pull out, good thing they only grew to the size of a man's fist.

So off we set to the east with me smiling the whole way and telling mother of all the adventures that Jaxxon and I would have. "When did you decide on Jaxxon dear?"

"Well I had to come up with something that sounded tough. Jaxxon just sounds like he could take care of things".

"What if your braldo turns out to be a girl?" she raised a slight eyebrow and looked at me with a smile touching the corners of her mouth.

The question only stopped me for a moment as I stared at the distant mountains "Jaxxon is a good girls name too I suppose".

Ben was a very likable man, always making a joke and always had a story. That is why Milli married him. Ben was young in his 20s and with average build not particularly strong but he didn't really need to be farming Chulocs. His sandy shoulder length hair and cheeky grin made him look young. Milli had straight black hair down to her waist she always kept tied back. She was nearly 20 and seemed to act younger than that, definitely a dreamer. Both of them loved the outdoors and had a healthy olive tan. Ben liked to hunt and was very good with his bow. He also used what he called a whisper shot. It was a tube about the length of his arm that he loaded with thorns from the Blaych tree that had chuloc feathers on the end. He only used that when he was hunting animals he was not going to eat. Wise move, since he poisoned the thorns.

He told us that the weapon was a gift from some friends in a distant land he visited a couple of years earlier. My mother told me she used to care for Ben when he was younger and his parents went on overnight trips to sell the Chulocs. "Aunt Chrissy!" came the call from the house as we got closer. Her lips tightened a little still smiling. When Ben got close enough for a warm hug "I do wish you wouldn't call me that Benharmon" came from my mother's lips. "Yes aunt I know all too well" and saw that cheeky smile I give her on Ben's face. Ben then looked at me with a sober look and asked "and who is this young gentleman you have with you?" I stood straight up and extended my hand towards Ben "Good sir!" With a barely hidden smile he did the same.

"Oh, good sir!"

"Indeed" I grinned.

"Yes indeed" he returned. Then we both lost grip on the ropes then and let out laughter we had held back.

Mother just rolled her eyes, "You are a bad influence on him".

"How is Milli?" asked mother as we got closer to their generous sized mud brown colored house. Ben's put on a grave face, only his eyes gave him away that he was up to mischief. "She has changed quite a bit of late Aunt Christine".

Concern crossed my mother's face immediately "what is it? Is she ok?"

"Well it has been quite a while since you have come to visit and I think you need to take a look for yourself" he said in a neutral voice.

Mother quickly went inside their mud colored farm house. "BENHARMON!" she came straight back out and proceeded to scold Ben for tricking her, He on the other hand could do nothing but giggle. I went inside and saw Milli coming to the front door with a rather large bulge leading the way.

"I am going to be an uncle!" I remember exclaiming.

After things had calmed down a little and mother had sat down with Milli after lunch to question her and talk about all things baby related. The ladies had suggested that we go outside and find something to do. "Right then little man let's go see what needs doing". We went to the long wooden chuloc house as it was time to feed them. Opening the large doors we heard the soft purring that these little birds make whenever people are nearby. There were 10 pens in the long house they lived in, all near full. "They could smell us coming" Ben mentioned.

"That is a handy little trick". It was reasonably dim inside to keep the chulocs calm. We headed down the back to the feed barrel but before we got there Ben let out a soft curse as he looked at the last pen on the right. There was dark brown stain on the floor and multitudes of feathers all over. "How in the name of Cralloc did it get in?"

"What was it?"

"Silver breasted falcon by the look of it, must have got in up there" he pointed to a small hole in the roof about the size of a cooking pot. "These birds are getting smarter all the time! At least it only got a couple" so we spent a little while fixing the hole with some new slats from stores in the barn, while Ben told me about a hunting trip he went on recently with one of his friends. That reminded me.

"Mother said your Braldo was having babies soon? Are they here yet?" I asked eagerly. He saw the hope on my face and smiled. "Kileeth is very much ready. She has got very large and very grumpy of late. I think that might be the same with people too. Milli and Kileeth had taken to ganging up on me, and hogging all the bed! Why don't we check on both of my lovely ladies and your dear mother then?" and we headed back inside the house. Milli and mother were still talking about when the baby comes and what she needs to do. Milli was still smiling and nodding. Mother loved giving advice and usually did it often. I usually nod and smile when she gave me advice, loud, stern, ultimatum conditioned advice. Milli was like Ben though and always saw the good and positive in almost everything. "Kileeth is in the spare bedroom little man. Just be careful, like I said pregnant women get grumpy" and he shot Milli a toothy grin, she shot a chunk of bread at his head and they both laughed. Ben began to relay the afternoon's activities as I slowly entered the spare room.

"Kileeth, are you in here?" I said into the darkened room softly. I could make out her shape under the window. She raised her head and sniffed a couple of times and began to make deep humming sounds that meant she was content and happy. Many afternoons had Kileeth and I spent exploring the area around the farm and down along the small river that ran through their land. As I got closer she shifted her weight and yawned deeply with her long teeth exposed. Then I heard the sound of soft high pitch cries, "Your family just got bigger Killy" I said softly and she answered with her deep humming. I crouched down and let Killy sniff my hand and I put my palm on her head. It was our little way of greeting each other formally. I looked down and saw her long body curving around seven little brown balls of damp fur. Some of them had their heads raised instinctively called to their mother. She again soothed the little ones with her deep humming. "I will be back in a little while Killy" I said as I stood and quietly left the room.

"Oh wonderful" Milli beamed.

"It will be good to have my hunting companion back at full strength" Ben added. "Speaking of hunting, it's still early and I think this little guy wouldn't say no to some shooting lessons".

"I'm not that young anymore!" I protested.

He gave me an appraising look "You know something? You're right. How old are you now?"

I remember shrugging and looking to my mother.

"Best I can say he is near his thirteenth cycle" She mirrored Ben's look.

"Your just about a man then" There was a look in his eye, his mind was working, almost looked to be evaluating options. Then he nodded "Right then! Young man would you like to join me in the hunt?"

Mother shot Ben a look that I would later find the reason for.

"Don't worry Aunt Christine, I will look out for the boy... oh my mistake, man" and he winked at me.

"This young man is world Benharmon. Do not let anything happen to him"

"Mother don't work yourself up, It's just a little hunting" I knew they were talking about something more and I had to hide my curiosity and excitement and play the fool a little.

"Of course it is" she said dryly.

"Be back before dark. Do not leave your dinner to the chill". So we spent the last hours of the day with the bow and the whisper shot honing our skills on targets scratched into the side of the barn. Ben was a little quieter that night, almost like he was looking for something. I used this time to negotiate my way into braldo ownership. Which as it turns out was easier than I was thought.

"Well there goes that surprise" He shrugged "I had planned on pairing you up with a hunting partner when they were old enough" His only conditions were that I wait for them to be old enough to be separated from their mother and that I bring back my braldo to visit its mother and learn to hunt with it. I of course eagerly agreed. "Do you have a name picked out?"

I was grinning at him with a touch of pride "Jaxxon".

He paused in thoughtful contemplation for a moment "I approve, good strong name".

"That's what I said to mother!"

We laughed and headed inside.

 **Chapter 3**

Ben was the closest thing to a male role model that I had. My mother did her best but there were certain things she did not quite understand. The time seemed to drag and we travelled a lot into Wingers Post so mother could do some reading on pregnancy and talk to the Midwives of the town. So I waited for the cubs to be old enough and we went back to Ben and Milli's farm. When we arrived Ben had been called to his family's home 3 days travel from here and Milli was not in a good way. She told my mother she started getting pains that morning. We could not make her travel in her condition and someone had to feed the chuloc. Our only option was to stay. I did not mind so much as I had 5 little braldo cubs to play with. Millie said that one of the little ones had died when it was born, I was a little troubled by that but mother explained that it was part of nature, with the strongest cubs surviving to make stronger cubs when they grew up.

I fed the chuloc and did what I could to keep the farm running, well, I thought I was keeping it running. In reality all that really needed to be done was to feed the chuloc and keep myself out of mother and Milli's way. Milli was recovering well and Ben was due back soon. This gave me plenty of time to get to know my future companion. Jaxxon really chose me after the first day or two. I noticed the obvious display, since we didn't pack much, I only had two blue tunics with me and after the first 2 days of playing with the cubs Jaxxon's fur was getting darker and changing to a shade dark brown with small patches of blue. After 4 days it was obvious that I had been chosen, I had a second shadow that was always humming when I came near. Not that we were apart very often. The little guy had taken to sleeping with me instead of his brothers and sisters. I thought it best to have words with Killy at this point and break the news. I don't know if she understood me but it was proper that I explain it to her.

I carried Jaxxon into the barn where they had been moved and sat down next to Kileeth. I explained that the little guy had taken an interest in me and that we would protect each other our whole lives. I told her I would bring Jaxxon back to visit and that she needed to teach him how to hunt with Ben and me. I took her deep humming as acceptance and did our formal greeting, first to Killeeth then to Jaxxon. He caught on quick and I think his mother understood then and nuzzled her son and pushed him towards me. So Ben arrived back on the fifth day and all was explained with Milli and Jaxxon. We had lunch and then set off home.

Jaxxon fit into our little family very well and was very protective of both my mother and myself. He got a lot of exercise developing strong muscles in his legs back and neck. This made him a natural talent when it came to hunting. He was very proud of himself when he caught his first pigeon in the barn. He was still young and his whole body swayed a little when he came trotting up to me and mother as we were harvesting the pumpkins. He proudly placed his prize on a nearby pumpkin and put his front limbs over his prey while giving off a still slightly high pitched throaty howl.

"Very impressive Jaxxon" mother praised him. I gave him a scratch behind his ear and told him to I wasn't going to clean it for him.

He was satisfied that he had demonstrated his prowess well enough and promptly picked up his trophy and trotted towards the barn to enjoy it. "I guess he won't need feeding tonight" I mentioned. From then on the rat population was kept to a minimum and Jaxxon was kept entertained with his nocturnal activities. We both enjoy the night more than the daylight hours.

Ben was a proud father of a little girl they named Jessica, she had her mother's charcoal hair and her father's eyes. That was a huge turning point for that man he started planning for his future. I was in my fifteenth season and still not yet a man, Ben still felt comfortable sharing his thoughts with me as if I was a grown man. We were hunting quite a bit at that stage and it wasn't long before Ben had both Jaxxon and I well on the way to being proficient hunters. Communicating with sounds and hand movements took a little getting used to but after a couple of hunts it was second nature. It was about this time that Ben introduced me to his other older friends and I seemed to fit right in. Ben was always wary of my mother's repercussions and would never let me drink with them in the tavern at Wingers Post. I think it was called 'The Riders Rest'. It seems that Wingers post was home to a barracks of eagle riders a few years before I was born. The roost is still there, huge building, and I think the barracks were destroyed in the Deter wars. I'll explain more on them later.

Ben introduced me to his friends. They were standing around a waist high table near the wall opposite the door, three of them. There was a great behemoth of a man his shoulder span looked to be the width of my out stretched arms. He was older than Ben, unshaven and his long blonde hair and beard were un-kept and this is the way he liked it. He was introduced to me as "Oak". The next man was also tall but slim. He had dark almost black hair cut just below his ears. Clothes the same color and he tried to dress sharply, never easy when finery was hard to come by. Never said much and always had a smile. He was introduced to me as Christophe, however they called him 'Blink'. I asked him why and he grinned and looked behind me and nodded prompting me to do the same. I remember turning to glance and only seeing Ben. When I turned back he had vanished, at first, I then noticed him about 4 or 5 steps away sitting at a table pretending to talk to the small group of men who weren't really paying attention to him. His overcoat was on the back of his chair and he messed up his hair so as to look un-kept. I grinned a confident smile and strode over, causally tapping him on the shoulder only to see a different man looking back than I was expecting. I looked at him again, a little closer that time. "What's yer problem boyo!" the face said to me. Then I saw it, a tell-tale flaw in his disguise "that's very clever" I said.

His face almost melted as he relaxed his facial muscles. "Impressive! How did you know?" Blink asked with a little suspicion and hurt at being caught.

"I have a gift for that kind of thing. I don't know how I do it".

"It's true" Ben added "he spots our quarry before I do all the time" they were all impressed that a boy of my age could not only pick him up in a crowded room but see through a disguise like that.

"And the disguise? What gave me away?" he was eager to learn of any holes in his guise. "When you spoke, I could see that you had to work just a little harder to keep some of the muscles around your mouth just so" he looked at me in slight amazement.

"No one had seen through that before" and he winked at me "you boyo, will do just fine".

The last member of this little troupe was a about my height, that is to say he was small stature as I got taller with time as we inexorably do, he did not. Long black hair tied back covered his head. A stocky fellow of an average build and skin as dark as night which made the whites of his eyes look that much brighter.

"This fellow is an outcast from his tribe. He was one of their strongest warriors and was learning from the shaman of his tribe. Until he cursed the wrong fellow and wound up being relieved of his tongue" Ben explained "when we travelled west and stumbled upon him we decided to 'in-cast' him into our little fellowship" Ben displayed a proud smile and slapped the mute playfully on the back.

"What is his name?" I asked. Oak tapped him on the shoulder and bared his teeth to the little fellow and then pointed at me.

"We don't know" Ben answered. The little fellow looked at me with a grin and exposed his teeth. They were not what I expected. "But he can give a nasty nip if you annoy him too much". They were sharp, pointed and all gleaming. "We call him Perdu, he can't speak our language but he seems to understand most of what we say and for some reason we can understand him" Ben looked at Perdu with slight puzzlement.

"He makes his little gestures and points at stuff and we always seem to know what he wants. Just by moving his hands" Blink clarified.

"Ok so now you have your cliché introductions out of the way and you seem to not be offended by anything that has happened tonight." he paused "Your not are you?" he raised the question and an eyebrow in my direction.

"No, I think you mismatched band of jokers would have to try a little harder to offend me"

Ben stepped towards me and put a hand on my shoulder "We recognize talent everywhere you see. I have known you for almost all your life and I have seen things in you. Above your unnaturally keen perception and your placid nature" His face took on an overtone of seriousness, and his brow furrowed just a little. "There is something inside you. Not even you seem to be aware of"

The words chilled me, the imaginary spiders raced down the back of my neck because even then at that age, I knew he was right. I still had no idea of the abhorred demon screaming to be released from that internal prison I had in the depths of my soul.

I was to learn that this band of misfits hunted an entirely different quarry to the regular game of the forest. Ben explained that all the times that he had to go on extended leave he was not seeing his family. In fact his family had been killed long ago by something that he could only describe as a beast of the underworld. Horns extruding from everywhere like some landscape of hell. Eyes that stared Ben down that night, Froze him in place. Every muscle paralysed and locked as he was held by two swirling portals on that beasts face.

Ben was only young at the time but he was old enough to have a mind to hide as best he could and as he recounted the wracking torment of watching his family fall victim to this beast I saw a glint in his eye as he stared blankly at the floor trapped in vivid recall. His face was all but hiding his true feelings. He may have been a victim of that beast on that night too. His injury was not physical, his heart and mind caught fire that night. I could see him shake with anticipation when he mentioned the word revenge. Like a lover waiting to touch the object of his desire after years of patient longing. Ben had his own demons, far more corrupting than mine.

I was to start a different kind of training after that night. The things I heard that night had roused and inspired me to chase new game. Ben had words with my mother, saying he wanted to show me what it was to hunt in the lands to the west. My mother was of course dubious and with good reason.

"Do not worry, it is under control"

My mother's show of contempt for that little comment was big enough for even Ben to see.

"He needs this Aunt. Sooner or later it will explode and whatever it is should be in a safe place to do that."

"Benharmon! I have no idea what you're talking about" as she raised a tell-tale hand to her throat.

"Mother, I know there is something inside me. I know you do not want to tell me to protect me. I have to discover what I am. I have to know." I gave her my best innocent and hopeful look.

The hard stare she was giving me softened and my mother's eyes welled up like two pools of liquid crystal. She dabbed them and composed herself and I knew I had her.

"Thank you mother" I embraced her and I felt her arms wrap around me like I was a small boy again.

"My dear boy" after which she dictated to us both the rules by which I should follow and how Ben was responsible for my safety and Jaxxon.

Ben and I struck north to Wingers Post we took the horses so Milli could use the cart for the children. The fantastic steed by which I was given to escort me on this journey turned out to be the oldest of the 3 horses that Ben had at his disposal and thus was not the most co-operative.

"You know we are going to be traveling for a good while, you may as well be the pleasant young stallion I know you can be" I got a snort from the grumpy old animal.

"He isn't good with youngens like you my boy. He is a bit of a no nonsense animal." Ben grinned.

I gave the horse a steady look "You look after me and I won't ride you into a thistle field".

*hmmmshhh* was the reply that I took to be an agreement. I am quite the diplomat after all.

We took on enough supplies to last about fifteen days. This is when the idea of a long trip got my head swimming with ideas of adventure. I had never been on a long journey that didn't involve carrying crops to a market. The whole world was about to open up to me and the growing sense of freedom swelled my chest and nudged my chin up a little. It was like a spell had come over me. Walking back to the horses I noticed people were actually moving around me to let me pass. Then I heard Ben break into a laugh that sounded almost like he was making fun of me.

"You look Just like Jaxxon does after a good kill." that deflated my chest just a little but I laughed with him then.

"We have a long way to go, just waiting for." He waved off behind me. "Oak! I might need some back up if what I have in mind works."

I groaned a little after that, the frustration of my particular condition flooded my senses one more time. I knew this little hunting trip would be an eye opening experience.

"What did you pick up? My, robustly built, friend." Flicking a grin in Oak's direction. He was on a horse bigger than ours and the color of wheat fields before harvest. He was modestly dressed with his leather vest and pants. Grey colored tunic underneath and strapped to his horse was long spear looking weapon that seemed to have two crescent moons laid on each other in a curved X shape and a point coming up between them.

The look Oak gave in return was roughly the same look I get from mother when I was in trouble for giving her one of my smart little quips that I used specifically to get that look.

"It looks perfect for our needs." I had forgotten how his voice rumbled almost like distant thunder. He handed Ben the folded envelope and looked at me. He was half smiling and chuckling silently. Ben quickly opened the envelope and looked at me.

"Oh this will be fun" with a wink at me he turned his horse to the west and we were off on my first real hunt.

It was perhaps four days later after passing three small muddy two street towns no more than thirty people. The main build of these buildings were logs and mud back then. The last town before the bank of the Riley had a brick building. It was an Inn called the Suns Eye. A large building made of brown brick that stood two stories and even had a reasonably clean stable out the back. We set out that morning while the mist still hung low. "Looks like rain later, what do you think Oak?"

"That will make things interesting"

"Ben, what are we looking for? You have been tight lipped since we left Wingers Post."

"If I let you know what to expect you might actually keep your cool about it and I am relying on at least some element of surprise so you can..." He gestured up and down in my general direction "... reach your full potential, whatever that might happen to be".

"Your preparation for this little event is undisputedly as bright as the wild blue sir" I said with a mocking bow from the saddle.

"I say good sir, I am ever so glad you were perceptive enough to grasp my intentions and the like" Throwing that stupid grin he wore so well.

"When you two jesters are finished we have about half a day's ride before we get to the area it was last seen so let's get a move on"

Finally! Some idea of what's going on. I remembered thinking that it was something unique enough to be noticed. It made enough of a nuisance of itself to get a bounty on its head and it was intelligent enough to not hang around populated areas. I thought it didn't sound as big as to need Ben's full band of misfits. I was very intrigued, and it must have showed.

"Oak, the boy is smarter than you think. Look at him, he has a decent idea of what to expect"

"Soon he will see it for himself, no point in sending him in totally unprepared".

Ben shrugged.

"Fine, let's get going".

We turned off the coast road about mid-morning towards the foothills of what I would learn was Dawn Watch Mountain. It was more like low ranges that were set back from the coast line. The tree line started approximately the distance of a long bow shot. Clever. It was a long muddy bank line that stretched as far as the morning haze would let us see. As the last remnants of mist rose from the ground like the wisps off a cup of tea the clouds had parted a little and left us with drifting patches of sunshine.

"We best hope that the sun decides to shine a little more and that rain holds off till this is done" Ben whispered.

"We will leave the horses at the tree line" rumbled Oak in a hushed tone.

"Why are we whispering? Is it this mysterious beast of yours so close to the road? Oh, I see, he has been attacking travellers. He must be fast to cover that distance. Do you think it's really male? The female of most animals gets territorial when they have young" I remember concentrating and thinking about ten things at once then a million possibilities and already planning a strategy. Both men looked at me brows raised a little and mirror images of each other.

"Boy, we need to talk about your skills of perception, I give you far too little credit good sir" Ben tilted his head with what seemed a little genuine respect. Jaxxon let out a small agreement. "Indeed sir" and I winked.

We tied the horses at the tree line and got a small camp organized. Jaxxon was already sniffing around the area. He could smell something he didn't like.

"Hold on, no fire yet. Best take a cold lunch. We don't want to announce our presence yet, right lads?"

That little comment gave me an ego boost. Ben had always looked at me like I was a nephew or what is known as a noob in today's terms. You see that? I am giving away tid bits of future events, but I digress ever so slightly. Ben started to think of me as an equal. I smiled like I had just caught him out in a lie.

"What are you grinning at like a million fireflies are flying out your backside?" Ben caught my private little triumph.

"Oh, nothing" I lied.

"Let's see if you're smiling by nightfall" there was a tone of warning in his voice and just a little fear.

A cold lunch, I had gotten used to cold meals. Remaining hidden for extended periods means you have to make certain sacrifices. If I am hunting a particularly perceptive quarry for days on end I may not move to even relieve myself. Let me tell you that can be nasty business sometimes. So after lunch we packed up what we wouldn't need for the remainder of the day.

"Leave out that whisper shot I gave you. I need to show you some useful little poisons to tip the darts with. We may need it."

"Has the boy got a blade?"

"Garett my large friend he is my pupil, do you think I would let him get this far without a blade of some sort?"

I pulled my hunting knife out of its scabbard and casually flipped it a couple of times in the air and sheathed it.

"Hope your skill with that is as good as he says".

We set out for the hills looming above us like an imposing wave of gloom feeling a certain excitement about it all despite the unknown danger out there that could have been watching us even as we ate. Oak carried his spear and a short sword strapped to his side. To him with his immense size the sword looked like an oversized dagger. Ben carried a longer sword and his bow already nocking an arrow. He had thrown on leather vest and slipped on some bracers.

"Well good sir, would it be an imposition to ask if you would see signs of anything yet?"

Ben was walking behind me next to Oak making little to no sound at all. I was impressed with their abilities and to this day respect all of those misfits for what they could do.

"It would help to know what I am tracking" I said a little tersely.

"Think of it as kind of a large reptile type creature. It likes the trees too. About double the size of Jaxxon" I pulled out my bow and nocked an arrow.

"You have that whisper shot?"

"Loaded, mother" I replied to Ben.

He raised a finger in my direction "Your mother will have my hide if..."

"There!" I pointed a way off at an animal winding up a tree like a breeze. It was bigger than I expected. Dark skin, large head with what I thought were 4 eyes. Armoured by some sort of bone plating in certain areas the chest, lower limbs and a ridge along the back were well protected. Moving quickly on long limbs, almost the same length as my own legs it was fast, moving like snake gliding through the water. With 4 claws at the end of each limb and a smaller claw just above what looked like an ankle. Eyes like embers, those piercing yellow eyes.

In one quick breath I loosed my first arrow towards the empty space that I knew this beast would occupy next. Jaxxon with even quicker reflexes than me was already diving under the bushes and circling to the left. The arrow was a direct hit, but the bone plate on its chest proved to be more than a match. The arrow deflected.

"Well if he didn't know we were trumping round his territory before, he does now!" I called back to them. Glancing over my shoulder Ben and Oak were gone.

This beast glared at like it wasn't scared. It displayed rows of rounded but sharp looking teeth. I was certain its casual decent from the tree showed contempt, screaming an attitude of 'you dare attack me?' I nocked another arrow and fired aiming at the amber orbs it was using to mentally tear me apart. I thought that would be the end of this beast. This horror shimmered to the left a fraction, but it was a fraction too late. My arrow dragged down its side opening a cut down its flank. Not enough to incapacitate it. The howl that came from that beast was like a thousand screams of tormented anger and they were all directed at me.

Jaxxon appeared from half way up a tree behind the thing and launched himself, jaws wide at, at its injured side sinking his claws in and with head held high for the inevitable counter attack. Not to disappoint, it snapped at my brave companion and rolled attempting to pin him under its weight. Jaxxon was not expecting this and his tenacious grip held him in position while the weight of his opponent came down on him. Jaxxon let out a throaty high pitch warble and I knew he was in trouble.

"Ben, Oak! Help!"

I remember seeing this dark beasts head strike at Jaxxon under him. Jaxxon was not going to make it easy for him. I saw him turn from an affectionate companion with an ego and a sense of humour, to an enraged and vicious fiend fighting now for his own survival.

My own senses were whirling around me. Staring at my best friend fighting for his life I was frozen. "Jaxxon!" was all that came from my mouth.

"That spawn of darkness is going to destroy Jaxxon if you don't help him boy! Get in there!" Oak shoved my shoulder from behind. Terror was swelling inside me terror and confusion. "Save him now!" This time it was Ben.

My memory is a little cloudy about this next part so I may exaggerate here and there. Call it creative control. The terror I felt was different, it was being pushed by something, something that nothing was going to stop. "Don't fight it, let it help you!" I took Ben's words and took a deep breath bracing myself for whatever this was filling my entire world. It felt like something was trying to get out of my skin everywhere all at once. My entire body was becoming tight. The pain was more overwhelming than anything I had every contemplated.

"Get ready Oak"

"By the moon Ben! You didn't tell me this could happen!"

The beast latched his jaws onto the back of Jaxxon's neck. I was not going to have that. I reached for my dagger and what came out of my throat could only be described as not a sound but a force. It was a force that rumbled deeper than Oak, and louder than thunder as if it were cracking above our heads. "NOOOOOO!" trembling as a surge of adrenaline, fear and power coursed through me. I rushed forward towards the now bewildered demon. Its eyes wide, trying to take in what exactly was coming at it like an avalanche. What I thought would take 10 or 12 large steps, I covered in three. "No you don't! Not to my friend!" I reached for this thing. My own hand had expanded in size and taken on a color similar to a night sky. This was the first time I had seen any part of my exterior, but I had more important things to take care of at that moment. By this stage it had released Jaxxon. I felt the eruption of terror in it and the scent fuelled the intense fury that I was aiming at this thing that had very impolitely attempted to end my friends life. I felt every burning splinter of rage and knew where to direct every bit of that dire, lethal catastrophe. I knew somewhere deep inside that I could control that devastating energy.

My poor little companion stared at me for a moment uncertain if I was still the same man he knew and then bolted towards the camp, leaving me and this defilement of existence facing off against each other. It snapped a couple of times and let out a croaky growl. I could see the internal struggle against its consuming fear. It darted around me and up a nearby tree. Lightning surged down my arm compelling me to throw the dagger. It struck the beasts tail and pinned it to the tree. It howled, and clawed at the bark trying to tear itself free. I took pleasure in seeing it realize how hopeless escape attempts would be.

I swung both of my arms back and threw my open palms at the side of the creature's head. Another howl of frustration tore the air. Now the thing was confused and disoriented. I took the opportunity to reach out slowly towards it, I closed my now clawed fingers around the attacker's neck and another surge came up over me. My chest flushed with warmth strangely calming the bonfire that was there a moment ago. I looked down the length of my arm at it and felt in control. I bought the struggling form closer to my face and growled the words "That is my best friend and you have hurt him. I need to make sure you can't hurt anyone else, ever" I am not proud of what I did next. I only remember that I felt euphoric waves of satisfaction when I caused that creature massive amounts of pain and fear before crushing its throat with my bare fist. It writhed and gasped then started to tremble and twitch as the life ebbed from its body. Laughing and sneering with pleasure at the destructive force I was capable of exceeding.

It was a short time later after I had calmed down. I started feeling a little more comfortable in my own skin. As my body was turning back to its normal color and size I could do nothing but stare at the body of the creature.

"Boy! Are you back with us yet?" Ben was patting my back.

"Oh... yes, I think so" I mumbled back to him.

"Good, we need to get going. Oak have you got that fire going yet? We need to destroy that body"

"Jaxxon? Where is he?"

"He is in rough shape. He has another fight ahead of him. This one you can't save him from"

"Where is he?"

"He's with the horses he has a couple of broken bones and when he heals up he will have some pretty decent battle scars. I have never seen a braver companion. He was pretty scared of what he saw come out of you too."

I made my way back to the small camp. Jaxxon was next to a small fire. It was still overcast and the air had a little chill to it. I rushed to my brave friend. Kneeling down I saw his fur had a lighter color to it. He had some teeth marks around his neck that were still oozing dark red blood slowly. His front right limb was broken it was obvious. The bone was just poking out a fraction. His right ear was missing about a fingers width off the top. There were other minor injuries. I went to my horse, which gave a wild eyed snort, and retrieved one of my cleaner tunics. I was tearing it into strips and bound Jaxxon's wounds and injuries as best I could. He was breathing well so that gave me hope. He didn't move or open his eyes at all.

"I'm never leaving you Jaxxon, don't you leave me either"

Ben was walking out from the trees followed by Oak.

"You don't need to worry. Jaxxon has more fight in him than most of us. He will be back at his best and hunting in time"

"Ben!" I growled "We need to discuss your perception of a good idea! My mother will..."

"Hey! Wait now, your mother doesn't need to stress about this. It's probably best not to let her know about ALL the details of this little trip." He had his brow raised and pushed together ever so slightly and one of his hands came up and scratched his neck. Fear. My mother was probably the one person Ben was truly fearful of. He was probably more fearful of disappointing her.

Oak stepped forward and started packing his weapons. "You know Ben I have to agree with young master 'Turns into an Abyssal Demon' over there. We threw him in deep."

"Ok!" he was getting frustrated. "I know, I know. That could have gone better, especially for our brave companion here." gesturing to Jaxxon "but his feet still touched the bottom, and!, we have an answer to the question of your... Heritage" Posing a half-hearted smile.

"So let's just not divulge all the details to your mother."

I said nothing and packed my horse still annoyed about it all. I carried Jaxxon as best I could in an improvised sling around my body while I rode. The journey back was quiet. As you could imagine I had a lot on my mind.

CHAPTER 4

I didn't tell my mother until a couple of days after I got back home. She obviously knew something happened. Jaxxon wasn't exactly like she remembered him when we left. I remember tears and lots of silence and me sitting there like a child feeling all the guilt in the world like I broke her favourite vase. Last thing I expected was for her to take me in her arms and apologize to me, over and over. We talked about what happened, what we thought it meant, how this could be and what to do from here. We both agreed that nothing would be the same and that I had a purpose to fulfil. After that night she still saw me as "my sweet boy" but also something more now. The day after our talk Ben and his little family appeared at our small farm at bout lunch time.

Mother and Milli hugged each other and my mother almost turned into a grandmother when she saw the children. I guess it was about that time that I realized that she was starting to look a little older. She was starting to get a few grey hairs appearing and what she would call laugh lines were making themselves more prominent. I thought she wore it well. Milli went inside with my mother and I raised my eyes level with Ben. It looked like he was not sleeping well and it showed. His head tilted down and looked like he was expecting another round of verbal whipping. He would later explain the guilt he was holding onto and wanted my forgiveness for what had happened.

Right there and then though, I thought he had been through enough. "Well my dear fellow, it would appear our injured companion thought it best not to give up on the idea of living, as it were. Would sir like to accompany me to check on our brave companion?" Ben's shoulders relaxed and he raised his chin with the smile that I thought made him look like a mischievous teenager.

"Indubitably old bean" and we headed to the barn with a stride that looked like the posh big city self-important people that sometimes come through Wingers Rest or at the market.

"I want to say..." Ben started.

I held up a hand signalling him to hold that thought.

"I know, let's talk about it later my friend"

"Good" Ben sighed "How is he?"

"Testy, surly, sullen and just generally in a bad mood all the time. Like any male that is hurt or injured. I guess."

"He wants to be back out hunting. I bet he can see the rats moving around the barn and wants to hunt them down."

"There is something else, He...uhh..." a slight pained look crossed my face.

"We are all a little shaken by what we saw come out of you, He will have to get used to that is all. Speaking of which, how are you handling it?"

"It feels like it was something or someone else, but they were always inside of me, part of me. I knew what I was doing and knew that I was saving a friend, but, I was feeling the revenge so strongly my head was spinning just being so power drunk"

"Did it hurt?"

"Immensely! It was like my skin was a sack and the potatoes inside kept multiplying. Everything was tight. Everything was so intense. Somewhere inside me it in some way it all felt natural too."

"Wow! Have you done it since?"

"No way! I have tried to stay calm as possible"

"Good, I think we need to keep you that way. It was more than any of us imagined."

"No! I have to learn to control it. Work with it. I have a purpose now. Those... things..."

"Demons" Ben supplied.

"Those demons cannot hurt anyone anymore." I was adamant and resolute and I think Ben was hoping I would say that because the next thing he said was.

"Good! Because they are always showing up and we could use your help."

Puzzled at his lack of objection I turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, of course we are going to have to keep an eye on you and keep your dear mother only as informed as she needs to be but... let's face it... You ARE one of those things!"

"I am different!" I protested.

"Of course you are but you have potential! I think this is just the surface!" He was getting more animated at that point he was excited by the possibilities. I have to admit, so was I.

I stayed close to Jaxxon during his recovery. I am almost certain he was milking every bit of it. Ben and I got him back out hunting as soon as was possible. He had a slight limp for a while after but he handled it well. Once he was back out hunting I think he almost forgot about the pain. I had encouraged him to change his fur color by wearing darker colors as often as possible. Mostly green and browns to blend in with our normal hunting environment. Not only was he back in training but as you could well imagine, I had quite a lot to contemplate and test also. I never did anything close to the farm. I think my mother was probably one of the more stable and level headed people in my life but there are just some things that I knew she would not handle very well. She never really asked about it at all and that didn't surprise me. Sometimes I could see she was forcing herself to ask the questions. The same ones that everyone came to ask when they discovered my unique condition. I of course answered everything she asked. Rarely did I find myself cringe at the thought of having to tell her the particulars of my experiences.

Speaking of experiences, not only did I learn more each time I went out with our band of unspoken heroes, silently saving the countryside from one form of Abyssal demon or another. We were rewarded for each successful hunt we did. It was not a lot to begin with, a pouch of silver would be waiting at Wingers Rest when news of our success reached the higher ups in the chain. I suppose that is when I first became an employee the government.

So after my first experience with my alter ego I soon found that, with some focus and a certain amount of creativity, I could do certain other thing. To begin with it was all small things like growing or shrinking the size of my claws. Then I started experimenting with fire... That got just a little bit unnerving and tense at times. Accidentally burning our camp down once and they gave me unending grief for years afterward. It just spurred me on more to find out where this could go and what were the limits of what I was capable of.

I will let you in on a secret. I still have not found the limits yet.

I almost forgot to mention how the remainder of our little group took the news of the new addition to the troupe. It was met with mostly awe and wonder. There were a couple of raised eyebrows and some veiled comments. Thing did get a little awkward I will admit. After they saw what I could do and how it will make everyone's job safer now that I would be the focus of the demons attention instead of all of them. They all came round rather quickly.

Chapter 5

There were a couple of occasions when things were a little too much for me. That is why we never take a job alone. We always have at least three of us we learnt that the hard way when Blink found himself tangling with a group of 3 or 4 Crimson Imps by himself. He neglected to mention to us that he was going solo. He was found by a farmer limping back towards civilization with cuts and burns covering a good majority of his body. Since then we have always done things in numbers.

It was about two cycles later that we were directed to do a job that was going to take me away from home for about half of the warmest season of Solmnar, traveling for near fifteen days just to get there. My mother had gotten used to me being away by then. With my new income she had taken a shop in town and we had bought some land on the outskirts of town to supply our store. At first it was only produce but the more of my "rewards" I invested into our little business the more varied our stock became. So when it came to tell her of our trip, she was never happy about it though and I swear it caused a few grey hairs to sprout prematurely. As I stocked up for our trip from the stores we had. She was giving me her usual lecture about being careful and make sure I look after Jaxxon. She usually gave Jaxxon the same speech about not diving headlong into danger and keeping me safe. We had discovered Jaxxon was a thrill seeker and keeping him out of trouble was increasingly more difficult. I found myself chasing after him into battle sometimes. The thrill of the fight was sometimes replaced by the fear a father has for a child that is about to do something foolish.

"We have to see our employers about this request of our time" I had never heard Ben speak with a tone of hesitation. His look of consternation as he read the missive from this (at the time) royal agency had him shifting his weight and reaching for that imaginary itch on the back of his neck.

"What's the problem?" Blink asked.

"Oh, it's nothing really" he lied shaking his head slightly "I would like to talk about a pay rise is all" he attempted a smile that did not touch his eyes. He was troubled, which made me troubled. The others seemed to accept his words without a second thought.

"Right then, who has the first round? Perdu! Your turn me thinks! Oak was already on his fifth of the evening. Our silent companion was waving his hand in protest. I noticed Blink had slipped to the other end of the bar to have a word with the barman pointing at Perdu just as he waved his hand. "Perdu my friend looks like your protests have fallen on deaf ears" Oak laughed.

In all the time I had known Ben we have worked out our little private communication. Not often he would talk to me without being aware of it. That was one of those times. He had gone to a table and left Oak, Perdu, and Christoph at the bar with their amusements. Sitting down he scanned the room, more so out of habit. He locked eyes with me and I saw the message in his eyes and the muscles in his face. His eyes were screaming a message of hopeless anxiety, soon as he realized he was looking at me he forced himself a kind of half poker face smile. I started walking to him through the tables and the assorted tavern dwellers. After seeing this, his shoulders slumped and he resumed his look of concern.

"What is going on? Ben this is more than just another Abyssal demon or band of Cave fiends. Are you really going to the bureaucrats behind the messages?"

"When you joined us, I vowed to keep your talents a secret. I told the others to do the same. You were just one of us, human" He sighed and looked at the letter again. He handed it to me.

"I can't read very well, would you mind?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at me.

"Oh, yes, we will have to fix that. It has the basic premise of saying that your company specifically is requested for a 'meeting' at the area overseer's office"

"What do you think he wants to talk about?"

Ben lifted his eyes to mine hopelessness stained them "I honestly don't know, I just know this can't be good".

The next day we went left for the office of this overseer after stopping to say goodbye to Mother. Each member got the same worried look and mother called out to be safe before we got out of earshot.

"Now Jaxxon, You're in charge of my safety did you hear mother?" he cocked his head to one side and let his tongue hang to one side. I swear that is his way of laughing at me.

Perdu gestured at Jaxxon and then to me. "If you're saying that he had a monstrous job ahead of him Perdu, You are probably right my silent friend" Perdu just grinned and nodded.

It was going to be fourteen or fifteen days travel to the office and the trip was relatively uneventful. No one recognized us since we did all our business away from public eyes. If they only knew how much we had done for them, the things we have seen. I still shudder occasionally when I think about it. Along the way during those days we saw a gradual increase in the size and standard of the villages. They turned to towns like Wingers Post, size. It made me a little homesick, I wondered how my mother was and if she needed me. Then remembered she was the strongest person I knew. She would be ok. The towns turned to walled and fortified bigger towns the closer we got to the city of Forecom as you can imagine the standard of housing increased also. With the vast majority of homes now being made of brick and stone, as opposed to the ones we past that were still log and mud brick homes. More and more travellers were on the roads also. I had only seen this many people at the markets when I was younger taking the produce with my mother to sell. Was I ever in for a surprise.

We arrived at Forecom after a long journey from the south. I was very tired after the long time travelling yet my eyes were wide with amazement and wonder at the sites of this truly massive city. It would easily fit 10 of towns the size of Wingers Post inside the towering walls that stretched as high as the tallest trees. The archway we entered through had men with bows patrolling and all along the tops of the walls too. Such things were quite new and awe inspiring back then. The roads were all paved in stone and for the most part clean. There was the smell from some narrow alleys that smelled of refuse. The sound was also something I was not quite used to. A cacophony of voices, carts, animals, people moving and scattered shout of a shopkeeper. We also past a small market area that was very busy with people buying and selling their wares. The pickpockets were out in force. I remember seeing a great many of them. Rows of houses and shops lined each road that would have quite easily turned a maze if you weren't paying attention to where you were going. I was thankful that Ben knew where we were going. We headed deeper into the city towards the center. As we got closer I saw another wall rising up almost the same height of the outer wall. Ben told me that wall enclosed the government buildings and the wealthy citizens. That's where we are headed.

We came up to the gate to the inner area and were stopped buy some rather straight faced guards that were armored a little better than the other patrols I had seen. This man instantly showed contempt for our little group. He did not like us and he was not going to hide it.

"Clear off lest this be your undoing!"

With that childish grin Ben addressed the guard.

"My good man! I say would you be so kind as to levy these large gates ajar? You see we have some rather considerable matters of substance to deal with inside"

Oak groaned. "Benharmon that mouth will be the death of you one day."

The guard appraised Ben for a moment "What business could you have in there?" he asked a little cautiously.

"Glad you asked my good man!" he handed the letter to the guard with aplomb "as you can see dear fellow, IT'S NONE O YERE MIND YE SIMPLE MINDED COD FONDLER!" and he snatched the paper back. "Now if you would be so kind we would seek admittance dear fellow"

I remember nearly falling from the horse at that point and roaring with incapacitating laughs that were nearly unstoppably erupting constantly. The others of the group chuckled and Oak raised a hand to his brow in slight embarrassment, I think he was just hiding his chuckles.

"I say my boy! It would be most beneficial if you would indeed cease that uproarious hubbub!" This only added to the aforementioned 'hubbub'.

"Indeed, we have our dignity after all" added Christoph straight faced. Ben rode ahead through the now opened gate. Followed by the chuckles of Oak, Blink and Perdu. Of course my hubbub too.

The time for laughter and light-hearted mood came to an end shortly after. We rode through the smaller town within the city as it were. The roads were spotlessly clean and the people were dressed finer than those outside the gate. They all moved at a slower pace also, mostly heads down in contemplation.

"Who are these people?" I asked tentatively to Christoph.

"These people, lad, are those people behind all the laws and taxes. Some of them just have enough money to live closer to the seat of power than those outside the walls." He pointed across the opening small square ahead of us to a large stately building backed onto the rear wall of this inner cloister of the city with its own guards patrolling the top and standing out the front. Stone and chiselled buttresses lined the walls and tall windows on the ground floor made it look intimidating.

"Our destination is a little less than impressive." nodding towards the stable attached to the rear left side of the building. As we approached we got off our horses and the stable hand guided us into the small sturdy stone enclave. It had its own small blacksmithing alcove for the horses of the lord of the land and what looked to be a small living quarters behind the stable. Ben shook the stable hands hand firmly and rested a hand on the man's left shoulder. The Dark skinned stable hand did the same.

"The abyss grows colder by the day" he stared straight faced into the dark man's eyes.

"By the actions of the Crowns Hunters" This man returned stone faced.

"By the will of the Crowns Hunters" Ben finished and looked at me "This is Kham, should you need to get into this Hunters United station remember the greeting and Kham will let you in. The greeting is the same with all stations. Let's go."

Kham lead us into the room behind the stables. It looked for all intents and purposes, functional living quarters with simple wooden furniture, a bed, table, a couple of chairs and a small line of clothes near a small fireplace.

"Close the door please" Kham asked, Oak pushed the door closed and Kham pulled down on the small clothes line three times.

There was a grinding sound and a dull thud coming from behind the wall the stable shared with the main building. A section of stones began to recess and it then slide with that same grinding sound to the right, exposing a small hallway and a set of stairs leading down.

I started feeling very small in a big organization. Even with my particular skills I still felt a little vulnerable realizing the size of what I had been a part of for nearly four full cycles.

The door closed with a solid thud behind us. Going down these stairs I was wondering about what that letter had asked. Why had we been summoned to this place? Specifically what had caused them to summon me? Perdu put a hand on my shoulder, I looked to see him smile and point to his head and take a breath in and breath out in a relaxing manner.

"Easier said than done" I replied furrowing my eyebrows a little.

"He's right boy, they wouldn't call us all here if we were in some sort of shit." Oak reassured me a little with that. I forced myself to take a couple of breaths before we got to the bottom of the stairs. We went through a heavy wooden door that opened up into a large hall that stretched forty something paces long and about half that wide I think it was. Stone walls with maps and charts on them. Three heavy tables and about 4 chairs at each. One massively heavy dark colored wooden table in the center and a fire place at the far end. There were people in quiet and serious conversation scattered about the tables. These men were dressed in Dark overcoats with straps and brass buttons with red shirts underneath. No discernible differences between the uniforms on any of these men. I remember thinking that made sense for a secret organization. Next to the fireplace we saw a smaller balding man staring at the fire. We made our way towards him and Ben cleared his throat.

"Benharmon, it's about time."

"Yes sir, what is this about?"

"Let's not stand on ceremony or honey coat this. Time has already run out and we are on the verge of public exposure of a threat south of here. Given the specific make up of your group, impressive track record and the addition of the unique talent." He gestured towards me and then I noticed some subtle movements that he made with his hands and clothing. A series of small gestures that what I believe looked like there was some sort of expectation of me. "We would like your team to handle this particular threat." he finished.

"Inspector P, we will do what we can" and I noticed the small same kind of gestures. He was touching certain fingers, then an attempt at casually touching parts of his clothing or body maybe. "We however do not know the area and are no prepared for this".

I was way too curious about these subtle movements to stay quiet.

"What are you two saying?"

The inspector glared at me letting his nostrils flare just a little.

"Were you not paying attention? Are we keeping you awake?"

"With your hands Inspector. You were suggesting something about me it seemed" I pressed him ignoring his annoyance. "What did you say about me? When you mentioned me you touched the right side of your coat, closest to me, and scratched the side of your eye. You want to see something that has to do with me. I like to be asked rather than spoken about you see" It was about now that Ben started grinning and stifling a chuckle.

"Do you find something amusing Wrangler B?" He addressed Ben.

"I was mere seconds from replying to your request of a demonstration by saying that we may need to be careful. Our young friend here is extremely perceptive." Ben placed a proud hand on my back. "This is our secret weapon".

"I rarely underestimate anyone" The Inspector conceded a little abashed "well then young man, I called you here for a demonstration. Also as you just heard, a potential high risk task".

"I have questions" I ignored his request.

"In time you will be given what you need to know" the Inspector was getting more firm.

"How did you know about me? We kept my condition a secret" I pressed.

The Inspector raised his chin and attempted to hide the contempt in his expression. "After what you have seen do you suggest we are unaware of what our hunters are doing or who they are?"

"I am your hunter now? Am I?"

"You have not been given the title officially. I must see that you're worth your station"

I looked at Ben with the same look I gave him after my first encounter when Jaxxon was hurt "two whole cycles..." expecting an answer.

"Look" he slumped defeated. "There is a whole other world out there, I tell you too much and not only do I get thrown in a cell for years on end but there is no telling what you would do. You were going to be told in time. I had every intention of telling you, I just was not permitted to until now. Considering I was trying to keep your talents a secret I thought it best not to push the point with the Hunters." He was hoping I would buy that.

"I don't need looking after!" heated and annoyed I spat at Ben.

"I know that, I have my orders just like you do"

"I don't have orders. I get rewarded for killing demons because I enjoy what I do"

Inspector P broke in at that point "That will make it easier to get you to keep doing it for the crown."

Not thinking, I flashed the inspector a menacing stare "I can give you a demonstration of what I am capable of very shortly if you don't keep quiet"

Before I could finish the words we were quickly being surrounded by the rest of the people in the room. Hands on weapons ready to draw.

"Hardly necessary. Your demonstration will be a little safer and without things you can break. Like me." He showed restraint and fear in his words and gestures. "Whether you like it or not now, young hunter, you work for the crown and have for quite some time. This does not have to be a chore. You said yourself you enjoy this. That does not have to be a strained relationship if you show the proper respect." His air had turned to confidence. Although, I could definitely sense the sincerity in his words.

"I have been your wrangler, and subject to orders. I couldn't tell you" Ben was a little more firm. "You can accept this and move on to the next mission, yes they are missions, not requests for assistance. Or you can act like a child and keep throwing a tantrum about what we kept from you." I realized with that statement I was being a little childish throwing threats around and puffing my chest up. I took a deep breath and relaxed a little

Inspector P raised a hand and the circle melted away. "Perhaps we did throw you in with the Sharks and Abyssal demons all at once" He lead us all to a door near the fireplace, we followed him into his office. It was a decent size room enough space for his desk and a large table with some more heavy wooden chairs. "Take a seat" he motioned for us to sit around the large table. "Like I said earlier, we have a large threat to the south of here. It has incapacitated three stations already and does not look like slowing down. At this stage it has had minimal contact with the locals for now. I cannot stress to you enough how important it is that we keep this out of sight of the local populous."

Oak was leaning against a wall near the door. "How big is it?" he rumbled.

"Yes can you tell us what kind of Demon we are going up against?" added Blink. "Yes ok I'll ask. Our silent friend here asked if it's alone."

We all looked at the Inspector feeling some trepidation about what the answers would be.

"We don't know." he replied visibly shamed by his lack of information.

"Don't know what Inspector?" Ben asked.

The inspector took a deep breath, exhaled and looked Ben directly in the eyes with feigned authority. He didn't feel very authoritative just then. "Anything, we have no information on this threat. Anything we send to investigate either does not come back or has gone raving mad."

The silence that followed was thick in the air. We looked at each other for a long time. The sombre mood was suffocating. I was about to get up and walk out when Ben said spoke. He said something that instantly gave me a burst of courage and put a smile on all of our faces. To this day I remember the exact look on his face. It was unrestrained mischief and cheek that would rival any troublesome child.

"So, if we beat it do we get to name it?"

"What does the P stand for in Inspector P?" Blink added.

"We better be getting paid for this" Oak demanded.

"Yes now P old man, what is the going rate for unidentified major threats needing a name change?"

"Perdu wants to keep a trophy from this one if that's ok? you know a tooth or bone or something of the sort, You know what he's like" Christoph usually spoke for Perdu.

The sense of excitement among them resembled that of children in a playground. They were filled with a mix of anticipation and reluctance. Their pride forced them to put on the brave face. The inspector was convinced. I was just happy to see they thought this had a chance of success.

"Let's calm down a little here. I have to take you thought the strategy we have and contingencies." The inspector attempted to restore order. The rest of the afternoon was calm and quiet looking at charts, maps and requesting supplies.

That night in the hunter's barracks I think we all said a verse to our respective ideals of sanity. They told me this is the highest threat they had come across. Perdu remained calm and seemed to drift off first. Ben left early, Wranglers have different quarters, Christoph and Oak sat in the common room with me staring into the fire. Even Oak had an air of trepidation that night.

"We are heading into this on the dark side of it all you understand?" He almost mumbled.

I remember supplying a light quip about being the darker side of the situation myself. It got him to smile and relax a little. Christoph in a rare show of levity asked us to find his sister if he didn't make it and asked us to look after her. "You both know she is the only family I have left."

"We know Blink, she will be in good hands, let's just plan on surviving this one alright?" I attempted to head off that line of thinking. He smiled half-heartedly with his eyes still locked on the flames. I turned my eyes to the fire for a moment and looked back to see Christoph had vanished.

"It gives me the vibbles every time he does that" Oak said getting up. "Let's get some sleep. The next few days won't be pretty." and he wondered off to his bunk.

I stared at the fire for a little while longer willing it to grow and shrink for a little while. Then I politely asked the fire not to extinguish until it absolutely had to during the night and went to bed.

Chapter 6

I woke up before everyone feeling like I had gotten little sleep. I decided to check my supplies and check on Jaxxon. The stable was his preferred place to sleep. I think it reminded him of his mother. I left through the huge stone doors with their grinding. Kham was already up and moving around tending to the horses. I nodded in his direction and headed to where our horses were kept. Jaxxon was still asleep. He woke up when I came near and purred a little. I could tell he had a restless night too. Just a little, grumpy.

"Save that mood for the mission ahead my friend." I chided him.

"What has bought you to this point in your life?" It was Kham.

Puzzled a little I looked at him for a moment.

"What I mean to say is you are different to all others in this place, different to everyone in this city. Why are you here?"

"Does it show that much?" I resigned.

"No"

"How did you?" I left it hanging.

"I am on the door here because I see into the heart of a man. Into you I see many many things. I see a very long road. I see a great deal of darkness also. Into you I see this very near the surface."

"You are right, I am different" I said calmly.

"You are. I see strength into you that I have seen in few others. All of those peoples are human." his words unsettled me a little.

"I don't know exactly what I am. I only know I control this strength you speak of Kham."

"I hope you do Hunter, for us all"

We had a hot breakfast and set out just as the sun came up. The city was just starting to move. Fog hanging in the air, It would burn off when the heat of the morning reached us.

I was always unsettled in the morning, I felt like it was the end of my day and it was the world who was the one that didn't step into sync with me. We reached the gate and headed to the south towards the coast.

It was two days ride before we started smelling the salty air and the wind picked up. The fishing village was a short ride up the coast there the road split. We were told this, menace or whatever it was, was in a large natural cavern west of the town in a forest there. We skirted around the town and headed for the forest.

It was about mid-afternoon when we finally got to the edge of the forest. We made camp and got into a little training before the challenge ahead. Jaxxon went out and came back with a rabbit and a proud look on his face. He always does look proud of himself when he has done something remotely energetic.

"It feels almost thick in the air, whatever it is." Christoph mentioned as we sat down for our evening meal. "Ben do you really think we can handle this?" he was almost morose in asking.

"Blink my friend we were requested because of our particular skill set and group make-up" he gestured to me. "We are more than capable."

"You know something we don't?" Christoph asked.

"You go into a battle blind and expecting to lose, you will." He looked directly into Christoph's eyes.

"Your right." he sighed "We have a secret weapon too" and he also gestured to me.

Perdu gestured to us all at that point. I knew what he was trying to say.

"I suppose I could, I mean, I have never really tried" I replied.

"What did he say?" asked Ben a little amused.

"He asked if I would be able to talk to this thing, you know, in my other body"

"He said do it in your mind" Christoph supplied.

Now that thought had not occurred to me at that point. Would it be possible? What would be involved? Would it be dangerous? These questions were starting to jumble all into one.

"I don't know." I replied while mulling over the possibilities. "I suppose I could try." I shrugged.

Ben and I walked a short while away from the camp. I told Jaxxon to stay with them. I think he knew what I was going to do. Never did get used to it.

We found a small clearing and I stood in the center and took a couple of deep breaths. The familiar feeling of something growing inside every part of my body came over me. The pain was something I was used to now. It was an every growing ball of rage that swelled inside me every time. I have never got used to it and found a way to become more comfortable with this beast inside me. I opened my eyes again to the find myself feeling like a passenger but in my own body. Looking at Ben with red tinted tunnel vision.

"Ok then good sir!" attempting to keep me calm he started the banter we always fell into.

"By Felarr your ugly, Ok, I guess you need to concentrate or something and kind of reach out into the air with your mind." He was floundering.

My own dark baritone resonated "Why did I bring you with me?"

He grinned that childish grin he wore so well.

"Just keep quiet while I try this. I don't know what's going to happen" I warned him. Then I closed my eyes and began to concentrate on what was around me. Filling my mind with all thoughts of what was there before my eyes closed. It worked kind of well, at first. Then I felt a surprise heavy slap across my face, a fire rose up and a growl escaped my throat. "What are you doing?" I warned.

"You were becoming the little weak one again old bean. We need the big dark one you know. Concentrate, don't relax if that's quite alright, aye what"

I reached forward making myself feel everything around me. It was becoming clear, out of a fog came the world around me. It was surreal, I knew it was not the waking world I knew yet it was familiar. Different, darker, tendrils of dark on the horizon swirled with an energy I had never seen. The presence I felt was not Ben, I felt the presence of this threat that we had been sent to take care of. It was formidable, strength matching my own. Intelligence was more like a campfire in its mind rather than the bonfire I was expecting. It was not alone, smaller entities were near, waiting. Their minds held candles, a simple wick of intellect. I could sense its distance, not its direction or location.

"What do you want?" I boomed in my darkest menace.

The beast flinched and looked around wary of what just happened.

"You will be destroyed!" I roared.

The being twisted its face into a hideous grin and held its arms out wide, inviting an attack.

Then I pulled my thoughts back to my body and opened my eye.

"Well, we have a small problem" I said to Ben with a little hesitation.

"It knows we are coming?" Christoph was irritated by this. "And! It isn't alone!" his voice rising.

"We have valuable information Blink." Ben countered.

"What information? That it is as strong as Mr wonderful here and about as bright as Garrett?" Christoph started pacing.

Ben raised a firm hand in Oak's direction encouraging him to stay seated. Oak snorted and put his spear back down heavily.

"We know that the others around it are no bigger than Tamza Fiends and easily handled. We now know why the other stations couldn't handle the threat being ambushed by those shard throwing little pests, if that's what they are. They would have been torn up. We know what to expect." Ben's words begged no retort and seemed to silence Christoph.

"Yes Wrangler. I will keep my concerns to myself in future" Christoph added some acid to his words. The look that Ben levelled back at him was near dangerous.

"Christoph you and I will have to have a conversation after this is done."

"If this gets done." He mumbled.

"If we are done with this little tantrum!" It was Oaks voice. "We best get this over and done with now that our presence has been announced"

"Ok gear up and let's see if this thing can handle all of us." Commanded Ben as he rose with his weapons. "Get Jaxxon onto the smaller ones and I'll cover him with my bow. Oak, Blink and Perdu on the flanks, try to get around him. Mr Wonderful will get fired up and take on the thing front on and attempt to draw him out. Got it?" We nodded and started heading towards the area the cave is meant to be. That was one of the few times I actually felt a dizzying fear.

Trudging through the trees for a short while Jaxxon paused.

"Ben!" I tried to call in a loud whisper.

He turned and I nodded at Jaxxon. Ben let out a quick bird call the others recognized and we all stalled in mid stride.

"What do you smell Jaxxon?" as he looked back at me. He made a shorter sharper purring sound that indicated he caught onto our targets. Before I could turn to Ben he had whistled again and Oak and Blink had disappeared either side of us. Ben nocked an arrow and I felt that tingling starting in the pit of my stomach.

"Jaxxon! Quietly, hunt down the little ones. Wait for Ben to attack!" I tried to sound as stern as possible hoping that he understood. He snorted his agreement and darted off between the undergrowth.

"Would you be so kind as to bring out the darker taller pyromaniac good sir?" Ben said and he moved on a few steps "do be quick about it would you? There's a good lad"

He saw the look of annoyance and smiled then vanished between the trees.

I did my usual thing and pulled myself in and let this beast inside fill my existence. I remember thinking this was not going to be easy and focused my survival instinct into the process. More on that shortly. The fear going into this was more than I have had before any encounter. Forcing me to take each step was more and more taxing. I could see the cave up ahead between the trees. I paused for a moment and the fear reached up and held my feet to the ground. Amazing, even as a demon I could feel enough fear to have me frozen in place. Thoughts were reaching towards my friends. Jaxxon had been hurt before because of my fear. This would not happen again. I took a deep breath in and felt a massing force of courage. I roared a furious sound of fury and my feet started moving again. Faster they carried me towards the cave. The small clearing that was almost mandatory with all cave openings provided ample room for the ensuing dance. I saw three of the team around the cave entrance, Weapons ready. Oak had climbed above the cave entrance, impressive for a man his size, and had his evil looking spear pointed down ready to jump. Perdu had his staff poised for the attack on the left and Christoph with his daggers on the right. I couldn't see Jaxxon at this stage and Ben was behind a tree aiming up into the branches.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are!" I taunted the entity inside.

It was bigger than I imagined, taller than me even with the extra height I gained. The face was the same. Rows of teeth like a shark and heavy brow with sunken eyes that looked like glowing coals. Four arms sprouted from its torso legs like tree trunks and bony armour plating that looked more like waves on an ocean. Horns and spikes all over its dark blue skin and clawed hands with three fingers on each.

"You are here to destroy me are you?" It chewed on the words. Clearly not used to speaking in our tongue. He flexed his biceps, all four of them, and let out a roar. "I have destroyed the humans that came before you, they cried for their life before I ripped them apart!" he cackled and took a step forward towards the cave entrance. "I have been waiting for you. You that is cursed with the blood of our kind forced to live in the soft and kindly world apart from of the Abyss."

This shocked me into disbelief, what could this damned creature ever know about me? "The lord and only true power of the Abyss has a message for you, if you are strong enough to survive this encounter you may be worthy to hear it."

Those words were fuel for the dark fire inside me. My focus was on tearing this thing from the world in which its presence had invaded. I had a mind to make this thing experience a distinct feeling of being unwelcome. I used those thoughts they started spinning inside my mind faster and faster. It was feeding the dark flame. This was a new pain more excruciating than my first experience and yet I was in no discomfort going through it. The tight feeling that extended to my whole body was but a prelude to what was to come. My skin started to stretch and tear along my arms and what emerged was like nothing I had ever seen. Bone spikes the length of my forearm broke through pointing backwards towards the elbow. My legs doubled in size and my feet were more like that of a dragon. The muscles on my arms were now covered with armour plating resembling a bony metallic substance, very roughly finished and heavy. My new strength accommodated the new armour easily. There was agony on the top of my head. The new skin color was glistening and a dark red color like blood. My friends were visibly awed for just a moment before refocusing.

My fury now had a target. I took in a long breath. I felt the temperature of the air much cooler than it was before this encounter started. I found out that is because my lungs had heated up, heated up enough now that when I directed my deafening roar at this beast it scorched the ground around it, even at the distance my breath was like a beam. The beast itself was unaffected and gave another infuriating, condescending smile. "Still have much to learn whelp!"

The next moment flashed by with sparks surrounding me like a thick cloud of fireflies blinding me. I staggered backward after the bolt of energy impacted my chest.

"Jaxxon, Ben! Take them out!" with that I heard Jaxxon growl and Ben loose and arrow. There was a thud as the arrow found its target and a strangled yelp when Jaxxon found his target. Next the remaining fiends were whizzing shards all around trying to hit Ben, Jaxxon and me. Another yelp as a fiend fell heavily from a nearby tree with an arrow protruding from its chest.

"How many more?" I called.

"Four! At least!" Ben responded a little tense.

"You two handle them? Jaxxon! Are you ok?" A confident short sharp purr came back, letting me know he was having fun.

"Just destroy the big one! We have these pests!" Ben yelled.

I turned to face the beast, contempt painted across my mouth. "Your minions are of no matter to us! We are more prepared for you than you were for us. Come out here and face me! Or do you cower in your hole afraid to meet your end?" I was goading it. I wanted Oak, Blink and Perdu to have a chance at this thing. After all, it wouldn't be fair to keep all the fun to myself.

It was working. The beast had a look of determination on its face. It was shaken and did not expect us to know about the ambush by the Tamza Fiends.

"It matters not! Your fate is sealed. You are being evaluated, watched. He wants your fealty and will have it." This thing was nearly at the mouth of the cage.

"My fate is my own! No one owns my future no matter where he sits!" Almost spitting the words back at it.

"The blood inside you cannot be denied! You will seek out the father of us all. I know you have questions, only he can answer you ignorant whelping. The abyss calls you" That stirred a little curiosity inside me. I could not deny there were questions that needed answering.

"I will get my answers from this Lord of the abyss you mentioned. As he begs for me to end his fetid existence!" That should provoke this thing to charge me. Not to disappoint, his pace quickened a few steps to the cave mouth.

"You're not the brightest of beasts are you demon. Oak! Now!"

Oak launched himself off the apex of the cave mouth, spear in both hands aimed at the back of the beasts neck. Oak landed planting both feet solid, one on each shoulder, the spear tip digging in deep. The beast restrained the cry of pain he must have been feeling, instead internalizing a deep groan. It reached upward with two arms grasping for Oaks legs. Oak showing an unusual amount of grace, danced on the things massive shoulders.

Blink saw this as an opportunity to sprint past he front of the frustrated monster slashing at its belly. This resulted in two slashes that did not appear crippling or substantial. A growl came forward from its throat. It was time for the demon to retaliate. Another dark blast came hurtling towards me. I raised both arms to fend off the blast and the large curved bone spear like protrusions deflected the blast with little effort.

"Two more left!" Ben called from my left "and deflect those things somewhere else!"

Perdu came barrelling in with his staff raised. He landed a couple of quick blows to the more sensitive areas. The beast winced and this time let out a sharp blast of a roar skyward.

"The fight inside you will have to rise if you are to beat me!" Issuing the challenge it was still grasping for Oak's feet. It found his leg and held like iron. With another lower arm it found Blink's shoulder and again gripped like a titan. Perdu was thrusting his staff into the demons face dodging the remaining limbs. Both Oak and Blink were stabbing and slashing at this demons wrists feverishly as if aware something excruciating was about to cripple them. With the arm that was not attempting to pin Perdu the thing was getting ready to throw another bolt of dark energy at me.

As if this was the worst that could happen right now Ben called out "Get clear! Shard incoming!" as he finished those words a shard glided almost in slow motion past my head, and sinks deep between the bottom ribs of Blink. The demon then unleashed his building bolt of energy towards me. I raised my arms to deflect not seeing what had caused the howls of pain erupting from Blink and Oak. When I lowered my arms I saw the demon had released both men. Oak's foot was still attached, however I saw there was a massive wound the size of my human fist where the beast had been gripping. Blink's shoulder was the same. He stumbled towards the trees. Oak went down falling off to the side. Perdu scooted around towards Oak and started to drag the fallen man clear.

"Last one down!" Ben called and fired an arrow at the beasts head. The arrow found its neck and landed like it struck a tree, only the head had entered the flesh. I saw Jaxxon dashing between the trees to flank the beast.

"STAY BACK!" I roared to my friends. "You too Jaxxon" I heard his protest.

"He's all yours tall dark and spikey one" Ben lowered his bow.

"It's just you and me now!" I sent the words into his face.

"I need no others to beat you!" was his reply.

I took a deep breath again feeling the air heat inside me and took a few steps forward. Was only a few bounding steps for my side until I had his throat in my hand that was now covered in a low flame all over. I bought my face to his as close as I dare. It was still grinning when I exhaled my furnace heated breath into his face. The smile did not last very long. My rage burned the smile off the demons face. After I had finished exhaling my torrent of heat and fire. It broke free of my grip and doubled over. I saw melted flesh drop to the dirt along with a dribble of dark liquid that resembled blood yet darker and thicker. The sounds that came from it were a mix of choking pain and restrained groans of pain and anger, then a sound entirely different came from this monster. It was a rushing sound, a wind that was building in intensity and volume. Never raising his now mutilated face

"Your strength is impressive. He has been watching you for a long time whelp. He has stared into your eyes. He has been a shadow in the corner of your room while you sleep. You are the culmination of millennia of preparation and patience. You are meant to be his finest most exalted warrior! His finest creation." the rushing sound was drowning out every other sound save its voice "If you survive!"

The blast wave was nothing like I had experienced. I had time to shield my face from the wave on wave of dark energy and sparks suffocated me. Dazed and confused I looked around in the fading wake of the storm of darkness. Searching for my companions and fearing the worst for Jaxxon. I saw Ben covering Blink with his body, Jaxxon dashing between the trees behind me. Perdu desperately covering Oaks broad chest best he could. When it finally died down the clearing was devoid of all but the biggest trees and rock, the ground was bare and the grass was fizzling and spitting the last remnants of moisture from their blades. The dust was billowing and dancing, choking us all, a smell of acrid smoke filled the air, and the demon remained. Now raising the twisted and melted face still oozing thick blood. It too surveyed the battle scene.

"Your friends have all but given up fool" It choked out.

"I need no others to finish you!" I threw its words back into its face.

I stared down this beast laying down my fury in my eyes undisguised and begging for the chance to destroy the ugly and damned creature in front of me. I clenched my fists and shrank my claws. I envisioned throwing spiked and burning fists into this things face and body. I craved the feeling of inflicting pain on the offending demon. His pain would fire my blood and feed my own confidence. The thin layer of flame licking my hands intensified as my fingers closed into a tight fist. I pushed through the skin of my knuckles some hellish spikes of bone painful as they were to create the satisfaction would be worth all temporary agony.

Again I exploded a terrifying roar and charged towards my target raising my fist for a strike. Unmoving the demon stared at me seemingly waiting for the impending impact. I connected with the side of its head a crack that would have been more suited to an axe biting into a tree. There was no give in the demons flesh. I intensified the flame further and swung again at the side of its head, the same sound came again this time the flame flowed onto the its head for a moment. The smell of searing demon flesh was similar to taking a lung full of fetid decomposing dead. It was plain to see the strikes were not as ineffective as I thought. Suffering registered on its broken face and I revelled in it. I wound my arm back for another swing and I felt a new sensation. Something attached to my head. This thing had a grasp on something attached to the top of my head.

"I have horns!" I said to myself with a sudden surprise, giving my opponent the opportunity to retaliate. One arm grasping a horn then another. Both now rising to our feet I felt hit after hit like a drum on my body. Its remaining arms were working hard against the armour on my sides. It was not long before it gave up in frustration and started to drag my head downward, then in one quick movement I was hurled towards the rock walls near the cave.

I crashed hard and fell to the ground.

"You start to vex me whelp!"

"Let me end your frustration"

I scrambled to my feet and chose a decent sized rock. With all the strength I had left I enflamed the rock with as much heat as I could and launched it at the creatures head.

It flew fast as an arrow and connected with its head. The result was both sickening and satisfied me. Entirely half of the beasts head had disappeared. I slumped back to the ground.

"I have horns" I sighed.

Chapter 7

It was nearing sun down when we finally collected ourselves enough to regroup. Oak was unconscious and Blink was severely injured. Perdu was using all the skills he had to try and heal what he could. Ben was binding wounds and Jaxxon seemed unharmed for a change. Ben and Perdu steered clear of me while I reverted back to my normal size and color. The relief of being myself again was almost as soothing as being in a warm bed on a cold winter night again. Finally Ben came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"How do you feel?"

The question provoked a grin "Like a monster".

"That was by far the scariest thing I have ever seen old bean"

"It was the scariest thing I have ever been" I looked at him "I loved it. How are the others?" I took another look around.

"Oak insists on walking back to camp, Perdu is uninjured Jaxxon is steering clear of you for the moment, I am uninjured."

"And Blink? He looked like a pin cushion"

Ben's eyes filled with fear and hope. "He is breathing, he will be ok".

"You don't really know that do you?"

His face filled with the sadness now and looked down at the scorched ground. "No, Perdu is doing all he can. He thinks Blink is stable enough".

"Well let's get back to the station head office and see what they can do for him. I may just be a little overly cautious but can we keep the whole 'Lord of the abyss is watching you' between just us?" I asked hopefully.

"That would be best I think, I will tell the others but we need to talk about that. This time it is an order" Ben stiffened his composure a little. He was not used to giving official orders.

"Yes Wrangler" I said automatically. "Jaxxon!" I called to my skittish companion and kneeled down "You need to get past this. I am the same person I was yesterday". Jaxxon trotted up like a cub being told off for coming into the house dripping wet. "Jaxxon" I held out my hand for him to sniff, he did submissively, and I placed a hand on his forehead. "This should let you know it's still me". He started humming and came closer resting his head on my knee looking at me with still unsure eyes.

Heading back to the camp was slow going. Oak insisted upon making the trip under his own power. He used his spear as a makeshift walking stick. We carried the unconscious form of Blink with the shard still in place. Perdu indicated that removing it would be detrimental to his life expectancy. Once back at camp we fashioned a litter to carry Blink and got underway as soon as we could. I looked back at the black smoke drifting into the air from the fire we set to remove all evidence like bodies and in this case we buried the shards. This was another one of those turning points in my life that I knew would change things around me, and how my friends looked at me. I was a little exhausted of being different. I felt like I was pushing people away from myself without knowing why or how to stop it. It certainly had effect on Jaxxon every time it happened. I wondered then if there was a way I could tell him that I am the same person I always was. Then I had a thought.

"When we get back Jaxxon, you and I need some time to ourselves." He looked at me and his short sharp purr in agreement.

Riding back we held off till night fall before we entered the gates of Forecom. A few wild eyed looks from the guards were a little disconcerting. They directed us to the closest doctor. We were only going to one place. There were very few people in the streets that night. We were well enough left alone and continued to the inner gate, our friend the guard was on duty that night and opened the gate before we reached it. Ben went in and woke up Kham who silently and without complaint took our horses and showed Jaxxon a warm spot to sleep. I said good night to Jaxxon and helped the others with Oak and Blink.

"Get the inspector up if he isn't already." Ben commanded one of the guards once we had got downstairs.

"Sir" straight faced the guard pointed to the other end of the large hall. The same spot he was in last time we were here, standing facing the fireplace as if lost between the flames in thought. The guards saw Blink and Oak stubbornly hobbling down the stairs and instantly took charge and called for the station doctor.

"I can walk myself boy" Oak was protesting.

They took them to one of the rooms and closed the door. At that moment I realized that I hoped that was not the last time I saw Blink. He was very pale and feverish, still breathing, so all hope was not lost.

"Your success precedes you Wrangler" The inspector was almost smiling.

"Inspector success for me is coming home in one piece" He was solemn.

"Your station will be given all possible care" came the reply with a slight wave of his hand as if dismissing Ben's comment. "I am more interested in the development of your stations unique member" The inspector turned appraising me with his eyes. "Your demonstration was... impressive young hunter" He turned back to the fire.

"You were spying on me?" I accused.

"My boy how do you think we knew about you before your first arrival? we are always watching" the smug statement irritated me immensely.

"So what did you see inspector?" Ben asked

The inspector turned towards us and pursed his lips a little, tapped a finger to his lips a couple of times appearing to be in thought about the statement.

"He won't tell us, or if he does it won't be the truth" I said loud enough for both Ben and the inspector to hear.

"Young hunter your talents while impressive and often quite accurate are extremely valuable. Your tact and lack of respect towards your superiors is going to need some work"

"My respect is not won with titles or uniforms, Inspector" I nearly spat the last word at him.

Ben stepped forward "inspector we are just a little worn out after the encounter perhaps our friend will be in a more co-operative mood in the morning?" He gave me an unyielding look as if to say 'ok back off now'.

"Fine" I said and turned on my heel.

I went to see how Oak was, the stubborn man mountain was complaining as a doctor was washing his wound.

"You are about as gentle as an elephant is a dancer!" He was sitting up on a bed with half of his leggings cut up to his thigh.

"Are you a man or a child Garett?" I didn't use his name often.

"Easy boy, you didn't have a great hole punched through you. My favourite pants too." He was only half-heartedly complaining. He got very short and fiery when he was injured or taken ill. He hated weakness immensely, especially his own.

"You're fortunate the wound was not as severe as it could have been. You will be grumbling on your feet in about a season. I would suggest two seasons but you Mr 'Oak' more than likely will not listen." The doctor was now bandaging up the leg. "Mr Christoph, well, he was not so lucky. His shoulder was destroyed and he is fighting for life with a punctured lung. We have sent for the lord's personal key holder. To oversee his treatment."

Perhaps I should explain the key holders a little. These individuals have a connection to another world a world that shares our own, yet these key holders know how to access an energy that they say is part of everything in our own world. This energy is a primal, basic, versatile energy only the most skilled of key holders know how to manipulate properly. Occasionally, when I was younger, I saw them pass through Wingers Post doing small tricks and small illusions. They were by no means individuals of any real and useful skill. Most of the self-important people and lords and ladies had a key holder, for situations much like the one our friend Blink was in. I often wondered if the way I can bend the flames to my will is the same as what the key holders do, or something entirely more darker.

The doctor was quite adamant that seeing Christoph was 'quite impossible right now' as he needed to be prepared and watched closely. I left the main hall and headed to the stables upstairs. Jaxxon and I were going to try and have a little chat, on even ground. Kham was attending to the horses and I found Jaxxon in a warm corner of the stables sleeping soundly. I almost didn't wake him it was a very long few days and he deserved a long rest as much as any of us. He however started his content humming he did whenever I was around and opened his eyes to look at me. I did our greeting and sat down next to him. He rested his head on my lap and continued to hum softly. We talked for a while about what had happened, that is to say I spoke and he quietly listened. I was never sure how much he understood when I gave him commands or just talked like that quietly.

I warned Kham about what might happen and he calmly nodded his head and keep tending to the horses. First I took a few deep breaths and found that ball of rage that was sitting deep inside me waiting to break free again. I loosened the restraints I kept on it and let it grow just a little I saw the darkness spread over my skin. Jaxxon lifted his head a little and stopped his soothing humming. I tried to reassure him by scratching his belly and it seemed to work for. I let go of the rage just a little more and felt my skin begin to get tighter. This is when I closed my eyes and pushed my perception outward. I tried to picture my surroundings, the shadows, the horses, Kham and finally Jaxxon. I focused on my companion and pictured him in all the detail I could remember.

 _"Jaxxon can you hear me?"_ I probed his mind a little unsure if this was even working. Testing the theory I opened my eyes to see Jaxxon alert and staring at the far end of the barn. I was positive he had just heard a rat moving or something like that.

 _"Jaxxon relax, look at me"_ His sharp blue eyes looked up at me as if seeing me for the first time. I felt his heart beat race a little faster and heavier than before. Then I heard for the first time something I will never forget. Jaxxon had a voice.

 _"You inside me"_ He did not quite have a rich vocabulary at that stage. I was also interpreting some of his thoughts as words. His feelings and sensations seemed to form words. His voice sounded younger than mine, or I made it sound like that.

 _"How?"_ that was accompanied by an audible snort.

 _"I am using my mind to talk to your mind, relax my little friend"_ I started patting him to further reassure him.

 _"You talk different here?"_ Cocked his head to one side indicating he was asking the question rather than making the statement.

 _"Yes, I have to change to do this"_

 _"Different is like them. Different make fear inside Jaxxon"_ To hear him say his own name gave me an uncontrollable smile. It meant he was listening and understanding me, to at least a degree.

 _"I know I look and smell different but I am the same friend you have known all your life. No matter how I look or sound Jaxxon. I will always look after you and I love you my friend"_ To emphasis the feeling I sent warm, affectionate emotions to him. He started humming again.

 _"Mother command Jaxxon keep you safe. You make hard job. Jaxxon love pack master also"_ He thought I was the leader of our pack and wondered why I let Ben give the orders. I didn't bother to correct him. Human group dynamics would come later.

We would continue our conversations like that regularly over the season. His vocabulary got better with time and I learnt to interpret the images easier and understand him more. The next day, before we left the Crowns hunter's regional office we ask about Blink. We were not allowed to see him, he was still unconscious but we had word that the key holder was able to accelerate the healing in his lung. The doctor also said that he was going to need some extensive and intensive care for his injuries. They were certain he would lose his right arm and shoulder, however, they were planning something never tried before and would let us know his progress. The last thing before we left the station I did was to ask for the shard that had struck him. I also was going to try something never done before. We left Blink a letter and promised to look after his sister until he came back to us.

The trip back was relatively uneventful. There was one group of thieves that tried to take our hard earned coin. It was a good amount too, most I have seen in one place before. That was just my share. These bandits did not stand a chance. Ben politely asked them to leave us alone or we would be forced to destroy them. They refused, Oak chuckled, Perdu smiled his sharp toothed smile and I dismounted and let the monster out of the cage.

There was seven or eight of them. One learnt to fly, two of them went and lost their heads, another four of them were encouraged to share their minds with each other and the last of them was given a message to all the other shady elements that meant to do harm to people in the area. I rather enjoyed disposing of those who would hurt the innocent among us. The viciousness of my methods and disposition was never normally part of who I was. These who would do wrong had no right to mercy or leniency. I took pride in being the teacher of these final lessons to those who deserved it.

We got back to Wingers Post and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was Home. It was mid-afternoon when I rode up to mothers store and told the others I would see them In The Riders Rest later. We all went to our families. Perdu went to see Christoph's sister and explain what happened and give her his share of our payment.

"Jaxxon go find mother" I smiled to him. He trotted into the front door of 'Hemming Supply and Feed' and moments later I heard my mother.

"Jaxxon! Your home!" she exclaimed. He piped up with his purr and I heard Mother running towards the door.

"Mother!" I held my arms out wide and hugged her with, nearly, all my strength.

I was never more glad to be home. Of course my mother was asking questions. I knew that she would not want to hear the answer to most of them so I told her enough to keep her satisfied that I was being careful. Sometimes it is necessary to omit some details about what we do. My mother although solid as she was and rarely did she externally show her emotions I had come to read her very well. I knew she would be forever causing herself heartache about it. As far as my mother knew I was hunting larger game that was causing problems for villages and towns and I was being rewarded for it. She did raise a speculative eyebrow when she saw the size of the reward I had bought home this time though. Still with her strong sensibilities she did not questions about its origin. We used the money to grow Hemming Supply and Feed. Opening trade routes in those coming two seasons to other towns, even the occasional caravan to Forecom. It was about at the end of autumn, the snow would fall soon and we had finished the harvest. We had employees for the first time that season, and ever since then. Things happened so quickly it was almost surreal. The caravan from Forecom came back with an extra passenger that season. Christoph wondered into our store sporting a broad grin dressed in new finery. A silk doublet, leather leggings and long gloves. His hair was longer and he looked a little tired but it was him.

"By Cralloc! Christoph!" I embraced him like a brother. He winced and touched his shoulder.

"It pleases me to see you too boy" he handed me the takings from the caravan.

"When are you all going to stop calling me that?" I laughed.

"When you grow up" he smiled and we both laughed.

"I have something for you Master Blink" I went and fetched the gift from my room. "I figured you would want to shove one of those shards back into..." I looked around to make sure my mother couldn't hear it "those demons". I unwrapped the gift and handed him a dagger I had made for him. It was the shard that nearly killed him. One full piece, handle wrapped in leather and a round pommel. The look on his face was both pain at the memory of the day and wonder at the beauty of this weapon.

"You have outdone yourself here" he tossed it between his hands. "I don't know the kind of strength the blade has. It may shatter if I use it. The last thing I would want would be to destroy it" I had not thought about that at the time I admit. "It's a beautiful gift none the less, thank you boy" He winked at me and put his gift away.

"Where is the rest of the station?" he asked.

"Oak and Ben are on a mission to the south at the moment, seems there have been some rumours near Attmore City of a jungle cat with red eyes and large metallic claws" I saw the glint in his eye, he was eager to get back into the hunt. "I think it's nothing more than an oversized house cat. I thought your shoulder was destroyed? They said you would lose your arm."

He grinned a proud grin and started to unbutton his silk doublet "I did."

"Take that upstairs please. Taking your shirt of in the tavern may be acceptable. It is not in my store" My mother Interjected.

"OUR store mother"

"Of course dear" she said in a manner similar to the one I used in my youth to get her to stop asking questions.

We went upstairs and Christoph took off his doublet a little gingerly. The scars were horrendous, very red and looked painful.

"Before you say anything yes it hurts and yes it hurts enormously" He almost read my mind.

The next question was regarding the rest of his arm. As his shirt fell from his back and revealed his new appendage I had never seen anything like it in my life. His arm from the elbow down was as I remembered. Above his elbow was jarring to see, it was metal, it looked like Steel. His skin had started growing around the edges of it. His shoulder was much the same. He turned around to reveal two identical shoulder plates looking like small shields covering where his shoulder blades should have been. They were thick, half the width of my thumb and looked like they could fend off a sword swing easily. I realized my jaw was hanging leaving me with a dumbfounded look on my face making me seem like a simpleton.

"You're going to ask how, aren't you?" He said.

Still gawking like a wonderstruck child I only nodded.

"I wish I knew. It was like that when I woke up. Extremely painful and bandaged up.

The doctors told me the Key Holder did something to me. The doctors did what they could then Inspector had the hunter's engineers craft this. I am not much for details about all this kind of stuff but as I understand it the Key Holder simply 'asked' my body to accept this contraption and 'asked' the contraption not to rust. Apparently he had to rest for full cycle with all the energy he used on me"

"Wow" I breezed as I inspected it.

"Touch it, It's all real and I can even feel things touching the metal parts" He knocked on his right shoulder plate and winced again.

"Can you still do everything like before?" I asked still inspecting the repairs.

"Everything and more. They said my shoulders are like armour now. I admit it's not the most conveniently placed but it should stop any sword attacks. I have to go back in a season to get the doctors to check up on it. Apparently our station is now the 'favoured' ones. I heard talk that we are going to be requested for other tasks. We are to be given preferential treatment, obviously" gesturing to his shoulder "and best yet. We are to get a pay rise." He beamed a smile as his eyes lit up like shining new silver coins. I smiled at all that too. The money did not especially excite me as business was getting better all the time.

"There is something else" He said with grave a look on his face. "I will tell you all when the others get back. Until then I shall see my sister and make sure Perdu has taken care of her."

The next few days had me wondering what it could possibly be that got Christoph so morose. Things were looking up for our station, we would see more of the world, get all the new toys and a nice pinch of coin to go with it. This had Christoph anxious, not that it took much for that to happen, but it was worth finding out what was going on.

Harvest was finished and we had caravans going all over, Svendorth Market, Attmore City and even a caravan of crafted items to Forecom were the major ones we were wondering about. We instructed the drivers to gather as much information about whatever was going on around the place. They usually paid attention to the market more than anything at that stage but we asked them to inquire about anything out of the ordinary. Accurate information, when you act on it, is the real power. We would not hear anything from the drivers for a good while, and the driver from Forecom would not return for just under half a season.

Svendorth Market always made good coin. That was north east four days away. One of the major trade centres on the continent. It was at a fork in the road, the north western road took the northern route to Forecom, not to be taken during the winter. The eastern road leads to the Kingdoms of the barbaric races of Oak's countrymen. There was a land bridge there that skirted around the northern edge of the eastern sea. Good people fairly loved the ale more than most. Loved a good fight and they all seem to be larger and broader than all the other races, which means they are usually able to handle themselves well in the fights they get into.

Attmore City was the capital and biggest trading port on the continent of Tadlador. I had heard stories about the size of the ships that would come into the port the finery from distant shores that were talked about by women all over the country. 'The latest fashion out of Attmore City' was always days away from my own concerns. I always wanted to see a city that size. I had heard the city itself was perched on a large outcrop over the ocean. The rest of the city trailed like a tail down the southern side of the monolithic mound to reach the port at the bottom. Most of the housing was at sea level around the port. It is said that the citadel is the biggest building on this continent and perched right at the top of the cliff.

So the next couple of days went by rather slowly. I checked at the Riders Rest for Ben and Oak regularly between helping with the store and visiting Christoph and Perdu to see if they had heard from them. It was three days after Christoph returned did we see the familiar shapes of our friends ride into town looking tired but none the worse for wear at about mid-afternoon. I greeted them both and told them I had a surprise for them later at the Rest. Curious, they both raised an eyebrow and agreed to meet me there later.

It was just after sunset when I met Christoph and Perdu at the store and we all went down a few doors to the Tavern. The sound was already building a little with the regular drunkards starting to sing. We strolled in like nothing was out of the ordinary and no more than a step into the doorway was Christoph when from across the room at our usual spot we see Ben and Oak with raised arms. "CHRISTOPH!" they both came immediately to welcome the new and improved man back into the group.

"Alan, a drink for our returned companion!" The barman immediately bought 5 mugs of ale to our table.

"Good to see you back again my friend" the barman said to Christoph as he placed the drinks down "this round is on me friends". We all raised our mugs, "to our brother, may he finally find a foe that can best him!" It was Oak with a traditional Svendorth toast.

"May that day be in the distant future" Christoph added.

We cheered and drank deeply.

"How was your little hunting trip to Attmore City?" I asked Ben.

He rolled his eyes and sighed "It was more like farmers with a wild imagination."

"No quarry then?" Christoph asked.

"There was, it was a small pack of forest cats. Nothing to worry about really. They aren't that big." Oak supplied.

Perdu gestured to Christoph. "Yes my friend I am itching to get back onto the hunt. I think however, we will soon have larger issues on our minds than random encounters with the abyss's rejects. It seems our neighbours to the west are getting a little jumpy about something or another and are not extremely happy with us at all right now. I didn't hear much detail but the words incursion and infiltration were mentioned. Perhaps we sent forces to them or they sent them to us I am not sure. All I know is this is very delicate right now and you know the Crowns Hunters will be called upon." He was more worried than usual about the prospect of what could happen.

"We don't know it's going to get worse yet Christoph" Ben attempted to reassure him.

Perdu was gesturing his people had fought them before when they tried to invade his lands to the south.

"See, King Genstar has invaded before, he nearly conquered Sleynis" Sleynis is the continent to the south of us separated by a small ocean straight about three days across. Genstar is the ruler of the western neighbours. The Zeous people were efficient, orderly, honourable and above all, power hungry.

The rest of the night was a mixture of quiet discussion and loud singing and drinking. The next morning my head welcomed back an old friend, throbbing pain and an aversion to sunlight. Mother had come into my room and opened the window and the curtains.

"The sun is up and so are you my boy" she always enjoyed doing that.

"Uuurrrgghh" Was my only reply.

"Yes I know dear, you did this to yourself and you have to deal with the day like the rest of us" She really enjoyed doing that "also Ben is downstairs with a letter of sorts, said it was extremely important." That got my attention.

"Good morning old bean! I say you're a frightful sight aye what" He either was never affected by the ale the next day or he hid it extremely well that I could never tell.

"What does it say?" I was not in the mood for his joviality in that state.

"Oh this?" he held up the letter "seems Christoph was quite right, the crowns hunters are being asked to help with some sort of government issue of highest priority, specifically the crowns hunters and Wingers post station"

"Just us?"

"Just us"

"There are so many other stations closer and probably better able to handle that though"

"Young man are you doubting our level of skill?" Ben inquired.

I gave him a plaintive look "Oh no wise and fearless Wrangler. I would never say such a thing."

"That's what I thought you would say boy" giving his most charismatic grin.

"We are going to meet up at the wingers roost up the mountain. It would seem Christoph was almost followed out of Forecom by P."

I suppressed a growl "What does he want."

"He handed this letter to me and told me to gather the station in ten days' time and meet him up there. He has business in Svendorth it would seem" He handed the letter to me.

 _Wingers Station Hunters are instructed to prepare for an extended task of the highest importance. Information regarding this task will be shared upon convening at the desired location the barer of this letter supplies in the allotted time frame._

 _This is not a request._

 _The country and crown need you._

 _P_

"That's all very vague isn't it" I grumbled to Ben.

"Well you know" He shrugged "secret crown agency, task of the highest importance. We like to keep our secrets."

"That fits perfectly. I have some merchants due back in the next ten days that I specifically asked to do a little asking around. We might be able to get some information before this meeting occurs." Ben looked at me then with a mixed look of pride and wonder.

"Very good thinking old bean! You will be after my job next"

The next few days revealed little about the goings on in the land of Zeous and the goings on in the halls of the Attmore citadel. Clearly our merchants were not adept in the way of espionage like I had hoped. A spy network cannot be created overnight it would seem. We did learn a few snippets of information from the inquiry though. Our own King Churl was massing troops at the major centres down the entire length of the coast of Tadlomar. Seemingly scouring every inch of ships in every port. That would suggest we were expecting uninvited guests on our shores. Any Zeosians were questioned quite heavily and ships gone over repeatedly. The merchants from the Svendorth markets mentioned there were very little Zeosian merchants and an increased presence of the burly Svendorth guards around the market. Clearly things had been building for a while now.

The ten days were up and we all gathered to trudge up to the Riders Roost to meet with P on this seemingly secret mission. The roost was used for the species of giant eagles that the crowns army tamed to take a rider. The eagles were only found in that part of the world at the time and nearly wiped out when the army started recruiting them. While very effective against ground troops the eagles would not take to wearing armour and this lead them to be vulnerable to arrow fire. The enemy soon learnt of this and took to hiding their ranks of archers and crossbowmen until the birds were close enough to be hit. As I said they were near all wiped out. There were a few naturalists and bird loving citizens that ventured into the hills after the war had finished to see if they could somehow aid in the rebuilding of the species. There were a few sightings years afterward but it is a large mountain range and it had been years since any real sightings were reported.

It was on the peak of a mountain an hour's ride up a path that looked at one stage to be very sturdy and well maintained made of stone slabs and stone retaining walls. Not so much when we rode up there. Slabs had slid away from the path in sections. Weeds and grass were reclaiming what was left. There were landslides from where the walls had fallen. We were amazed to see the bridge about half way up was still intact. We arrived at the top to the large building that looked like a stone and brick barn with that had a small fort on top the size of a small cottage. Vines had been left to grow and now the lower part of the building was near covered. Long windows ran up the sides of the building, also clogged with the choking vines. We entered through a lower floor door that had recently been cleared. There were stairs that led up and down behind the door. Downwards was dark and uninviting upwards looked to reach to the inside of the largest portion of the building. We went upwards to see it was where the eagles were kept. The remnants of nests were still present. The smell was of mould and damp. We looked around the huge room that could have easily fit seven or eight small houses inside. In the center was a stair case that lead upwards to the dark vaulted ceiling. There was still a huge archway at one end of the building with a wooden pier of sorts outside it that extended out into mid-air. That was where the riders launched from I assumed. In the archway we saw P.

"This is a little out of the way don't you think?" Ben said loud enough for the inspector to hear. He turned and took a few steps back inside the arch. He looked pensive as he waited for the group to reach him.

"We must take all possible precaution Wrangler. Some things have started taking place that will lead to open conflict." He looked directly at Ben.

"So that is why the ports are one step off being locked down and the Svendorth people are a little jumpy" I supplied. He levelled a stern look in my direction. I hit a nerve. He didn't like people beating him to the punch.

"Do you make a habit of snooping hunter?" He was more than a little annoyed.

I shone a contemptuous grin "Only when I want to know what my crown and country want me to get into".

He sighed and resumed where he left off "anyway, this open conflict will escalate very quickly and plunge 4 nations into a war that will devastate countless lives and jeopardize future generations. No one wants this to go that far."

"But it will..." Oak left it hanging.

P looked at the big man and tightened his lips "Yes, It will. We expect the Zeosians to be extremely agitated about this and the slightest incident will set them off."

"What has caused this tension? Which bureaucrat insulted the other and has jeopardized the known world?" I delivered that with a little more attitude than I had intended and expected the retort quick and stern.

"That is what we want you to find out. I have assurances from the crown that we did not start this little scuffle and I am going to have them at their word at this stage." Then P did something that surprised all of us. "Ben, you and your hunters need to save this. I am more scared of this conflict than any other. The reason you were selected is because of him." He pointed to me "There are whispers coming from intelligence that the Zeosians are being manipulated by his kind. I am asking you ask a Tadlomaran. Find out what they are doing and why. See if we have a chance or do we need to prepare for the worst." He was really desperate. "You leave immediately, Do us proud."

Chapter 8

We left for Attmore city that day, with short goodbyes to all our family. My mother was solemn as we said our farewells. I knew this hurt her heart more than I would understand. She was losing her son and only family to the crown again. I would later learn she cried for days with the belief that I may not return exactly like her husband James. The past came to trample her once more.

"Mother we are going to come home. I will cross the abyss and move Mount Cralloc to make it happen. As I live and breathe Jaxxon and I will come home. Please ease your mind" I gave her a lingering embrace feeling like a child again. I held back my own tears knowing it would give her more comfort to see my confidence. "Besides, this will give you some time to get to know Dalfen alone. I have seen how he looks at you and I know you have noticed him mother. His bouncing accent and the way he talks I know make you smile." Dalfen had been employed by us for a couple of seasons now. He was from the next village to the west and was always a happy man. Forever singing or humming while he worked. A handsome man with brown hair now showing signs of greying. He was about my mothers age and he never touched a drop of ale. He was loyal to us and volunteered to work when he knew mother would be near. Hard worker with an actual brain in his head also. I was comforted by the thought that he would do anything he could within reason to make my mother feel appreciated. He had a heart to give and he had chosen who to give it to.

My mother on the other hand, forever remained aloof and distant. "My sweet boy" looking at me with near tearful eyes and a straight face "Dalfen has already made his intentions clear".

"And you said to him what?" I pressed

"Nothing as of yet" looking down she maintained her facade of uncaring. She was thinking about it, that's all I needed. She was lying to herself.

"Promise me something mother" I gently lifted her chin to engage her eyes, now brimming with tears.

"Yes?" she said softly.

"Open your heart. Warm your soul with the company of a man that clearly adores you. I cannot promise you when I will return and I am comforted knowing that Dalfen would lay down his life to protect you" I was then having a tough time hiding my emotions.

"My sweet boy!" and she opened the flood gates and wept as we embraced each other.

"I would have words with my potential father before I leave" I flashed her a cheeky grin and made my way down to the store where he was closing up for us.

"Dalfen. A word please?"

"Of course Mr Hemming" I held out my hand and took his shoulder with my other hand. He took my hand and looked at me with a smile.

"Sir?"

I looked into his honest eyes and could not help but smile. "Come and sit Dalfen. I would like to know you better." We found a couple of chairs and sat near a lamp at the base of the stairs.

"Would be fine gettin t'know you too sir" he replied still smiling.

"Dalfen you have been loyal to us for two seasons now"

"Yes sir"

"What bought you to us? Where did you come from?" I leaned forward a little. He subconsciously did the same.

"Well sir, I grew up jus south o' Attmore City o' the coast. Barnthorp I think it was. Small place, sunny all de time. The wars started and me family thought best to avoid the recruitment an go north. Been in Durnfield since then. It was no Barnthorp but twere a nice place t'call home." Still smiling he continued "I worked a farm there fer years. Took a nice lass fer a wife" His eyes grew a little distant as he said her name "Layla she was, prettiest girl I have laid eyes on till..." Then he looked at me a little guilty.

"Don't worry yourself Dalfen, I know" with a polite smile to reassure him he relaxed.

"Tis harmless Mr Hemming, honest" he provided.

I mocked a little annoyance "Well then this will never do!" at which point he started fidgeting and playing with his fingers nervously. "How am I to leave you in charge of the most precious person in the world to me if it is all games Mr Dalfen?"

His jaw dropped slightly, his hand rose to touch his mouth and his eyes were fixed on me.

"Mister Hemming, I should expect you and Mister Jaxxon be returnin from yer trip safely."

I showed a slightly pained look at that "Dalfen I can't promise anything like that this time. Mother knows this. That is why I have need of your services in a larger capacity."

He straightened and composed himself placing a closed fist on his chest "My word, my oath, my loyalty be yours Mister Hemming"

"Do you have a head for numbers?"

"I do sir"

"Ok, I would like you to work with my mother to grow this business, her word is law in this business but help her and offer you own ideas if you think something would work. Look into supplies that will keep the army going. When you can afford it look at buying a warehouse in Attmore City and start buying up all the weapons and leather supplies you can. Look into cattle and basic meal production. Borrow money if you have to. When the time is right, you will know when, tender an offer to supply the Tadlomar army. If you need help use the drivers to find more resources they need to work on being more subtle but they are still useful. Do you understand all this Dalfen?"

His look of caution told me he was more worried than surprised by the direction. He was smarter than I gave him credit for "I do indeed sir, are we to expect things to become like a falcon in the chuloc house soon sir?"

"Not if the crown can prevent it" I reassured him.

"I will do everything you ask of me sir" a smile returned to his face.

"I have one final task for you Dalfen. You are to make my mother smile as often as possible. I ask you to sing to her whenever you do not see a smile on her face and keep her heart beating with all you have within you to do so. Should you hear word of me not returning home you are to be her protector and stand by her side never letting her fall. Sing her to sleep and be here if I can't. Do you understand Dalfen?"

His lips was trembling as he mouthed the words but not a tear touched his eyes "With all that I am sir"

"Ok just one last thing, you don't need to call me sir or mister Dalfen, when I come home I want to see you become part of our family." He stood and extended his hand, I stood and embraced him "I expect nothing more than what you have given us already, look after my mother and the family of my friends if anything should happen" I then turned and left.

"Mistress Christine? Might I have a word with ye" was the last thing I heard before the door closed.

"That was harder than I thought it would be. We have done this dozens of times before." I said to Ben as I checked my supplies and mounted.

"Milli and the kids weren't any easier, I told them to come and stay with Aunt Christine if need be."

"I do wish you would think about joining with us in the business world. We are about to dive into a large gamble right now and it should be quite profitable" Ben shrugged at the thought.

"I don't have a mind for business"

"You don't need to. We can talk about it when we get home."

"If we get home" Christoph mumbled.

"So what's the plan wrangler? You spoke to P more than we did, what are we supposed to do?" Oak asked from behind us.

"P wants us to travel to Zeous before the trade routes close and merely gather what information we can. Given our unique group make up and the rumours floating around we were 'requested' to handle it" Ben explained.

"So abyss boy is the reason we are going there?" Christoph sounded a little sullen "Yes he is the reason" he was explaining to Perdu now "the Zeosians are in league with the demons so we are required to use 'big and nasty' there to find out why."

By this stage I was able to talk to Jaxxon without changing my looks at all. This made things a lot easier on the hunt.

 _"Jaxxon, do you want to ride up with me?"_ he looked up at me inquisitively.

 _"Jaxxon likes to feel ground. Feel more not uneven"_

 _"You mean it feels more stable?"_

 _"Horse use stable?"_

 _"Never mind, speak up if you see or hear anything ok my friend?"_ He agreed with a sharp little purring sound.

"What is it?" Ben asked

"Oh nothing, he will speak up if he sees anything that's all"

"That still takes getting used to, knowing you can talk to him" Christoph mentioned.

Perdu rode up and gestured something about doing the same with people.

"I don't know" I told him "We will have to find out" I smiled at him.

It was a short 3 day trip down to Attmore City. We were in a hurry and arrived early on the 3rd day. It was still as magnificent as the last time I saw it.

"We have a ship waiting to leave so any business you have, make it quick" Ben was a little more tense than usual.

"Just need to take a look at the port for a little while, I will meet you at the dock?" I told them all.

"We leave at dusk." Ben nodded

I took a look around the port district and enquired about a couple of different warehouses. I wrote a letter to my mother and Dalfen about which ones I suggested and what offers to make. Then went to the market to find one of our drivers to carry the letter home. I noticed Christoph in the corner of my eye a couple of times but thought nothing of it. The afternoon was getting darker so I made my way to the dock and found my companions waiting. The ships were varied in size, shape, color and design. The one thing they all shared was the smell. Fish and sea water assaulted my nostrils. There were men unloading and loading all kinds of ships and boats. Fishing nets full of fish unloaded by large wooden cranes. Even for this time of the day it was still bustling with movement and voices.

"Our contact is a merchant by the name of Bilso. He owns one of these ships and will take us to Zeous. The port of Preterri I think it's called." Ben told us all once we had gathered near one of the larger ships.

"Hunting around here will only net you a fish" came the strange voice. A strange looking man with sharper features and a pointed nose. His hair was blonde and tied back. A man of average stature dressed in the usual tar smeared clothing of a man spending his life at sea. He wore a short cut beard and moustache and had a wise look in his dark brown eyes.

"Can we help you with something?" Christoph asked the man.

"I can help you friends. Bilso" he extended his hand.

"The man that will take us to Preterri" Ben shook his hand and nodded in a businesslike manner.

"We will be making a short stop down the coast to pick up some cargo I have just acquired, but yes, I will be taking you there. Let's get loaded. Your horses will have to stay" We followed him to his ship.

Christoph spoke up "How did you know it was us you were looking for?"

"Well..." he started

"We all stick out like a sore thumb, all of us" Christoph had a slight worried look on his face at me saying that "and he was watching us for a while before we noticed him."

"Your young friend is observant yes?"

"You really have no idea Bilso" Christoph grumbled.

After we had boarded Christoph came to me and explained himself. He was merely curious about what I was doing and thought I wouldn't notice him. I reminded him we all have our own lives and I liked having my business left to myself. We took a day to pick up Bilso's cargo and an additional twelve days to cross the expanse of ocean to the port city of Preterri. It was afternoon when we docked. The city was built of sandstone light colored and very orderly and straight. The streets were on a grid pattern with the Post Masters residence and market in the center. A decent sized city smaller than Forecom though. We were thoroughly questioned and searched before we were permitted to leave the dock. To be expected really, although we were not really hiding anything.

We thanked Bilso for the passage and he informed us he would be in the city until he sold his stock then would be heading back. If we were not back on the dock in six days he would leave without us and not return for another half a season and we would have to find an alternative way home. We agreed and parted ways. Ben told us we would head for the capital city being Gotharn. It would be four days by horse and I realized Bilso would not be our ride home at this point.

We stayed in Preterri for the night in a clean and efficient inn. Those people had outlawed the more festive beverages so finding a stiff drink was not going to happen. It was probably just as well. That night my sleep was fitful and restless with sporadic dreams always haunted by a man in a dark robe staring at me, filling me with a sense of dread and anger that woke me from my sleep every time. Jaxxon was allowed in my room after bribing the inn keeper. He always started humming when he saw me wake which eased my mind from distraction.

I touched his mind a couple of times to let him know I was ok. _"Don't worry yourself Jaxxon. It was only a bad dream"_

 _"I protect you from bad things?"_ he offered.

 _"Not this time my loyal friend, but you're humming helps"_

 _"I will continue and make you rest"_ he said that with a protective tone.

The morning seemed to come all too fast, the sky was lighting up with pinks and blues and I did not want to know about any of it. Jaxxon and I went downstairs to the dining room. Inn's in that part of the world were restaurants too. A hot breakfast helped my mood a little.

The rest of our group got up not long after me and we planned our trip to Gotharn.

Taking a ride with a pleasant fellow named Jed he was from a town called Tubron. He was a Zeosian and I could see no deception or anything resembling prejudice in him. He was selling pottery in Gotharn he as it happens just bought off Bilso. We offered protection on the two day trip for his caravan in return for the ride. He was also relieved to have someone to talk to. I was casually asking him about his business and mentioned I was building my own little empire across the sea. He promised to stop by and say hello if he was every passing by on his way to the Svendorth market. Possibly when all the fuss was done with I hoped to strike some lucrative business deals.

I was not prepared for the sight of Gotharn. It was sprawled an expansive valley between two mountains and made Forecom and Attmore City both look like settlements. It was almost glowing with a pink and yellow haze in the afternoon sun. The sandstone was clearly quite abundant and was used to construct nearly all the buildings in the city. The exception was the walls that surrounded the capital that were made of a darker grey stone and almost twice the height of the walls around Forecom, and twice as thick. We blended into the swarm of people coming in and out of the colossal gates. There were, however, multitudes of guards in heavy armour carrying round shields and long spears. Their dark blue uniforms were all so clean and neat compared to our friend the cod fondler at the inner gate of Forecom. We wore hooded cloaks for the journey to minimize the amount of attention we attracted.

"I promise to come and see you and your lovely family when I am next in..." he looked around cautiously "your neighbourhood" then Jed surprised me by winking knowingly at us.

"We are in the city for a few days Jed, I think we should talk, soon" Ben said with some confidence almost expecting Jed to know what he meant.

"Yes, we should." He smiled "You know the most beautiful flower in these parts is the Violet Rose? It grows north of here, not south" with a final smile he nodded politely and was swallowed by the crowd.

"Him you could not read?" Ben complained playfully.

"I am as shocked as you are old bean, let's find this Violet Rose tavern on the north side he hinted at." he looked at Ben who gave him a puzzled look. "Oh so now who's the one that wasn't paying attention?"

The Violet Rose turned out to be a large Inn close to the northern end of the city higher up in the valley so as to give a panoramic view of the city below. The Hunters had given us the funds for accommodation and meals but that place looked expensive. It was nightfall by the time we got there and we all agreed to stay for one night with Jaxxon choosing the stable behind the building. Once we had settled we made our way back down to the dining room and saw the familiar face that I half expected to be waiting for us.

"You gentlemen are reasonably new to this game" Jed was smiling charismatically sitting at a large table on the opposite side of the room.

"And I bet you are either crown official or rouge entrepreneur with his finger in many different pies" I gave him my own charismatic grin.

The look on his face was one of restrained admiration "I could use a man like you. Tell me have you considered a higher paying job?" he then looked me up and down evaluating my potential.

"You could not afford him" Oak laid a protective hand on my shoulder.

"Easy big man" I patted Oaks hand.

"Is it really Jed?" Ben asked this seemingly well informed man.

"Jed, today. In my many years I have gone by many names. You are right, my observant friend in your assessment of me".

"Which part?"

"Both" he oozed pride at that moment "I do have ties to the Crown of Zeous, but they do not pay nearly as much my lifestyle has become accustomed to needing. I give them tid bits of information when they want to justify paying me. My own" he grinned with a glint in his eye "well let's just say my personal investments are far more lucrative." finger tips tapping together and his eyes lost in the fireplace for a moment. He was brimming with his own importance. He did know how to use his intelligence, for that he had my respect.

"You were all watched well before you reached our shores you know? I saw you coming and placed myself in a position to get close to you all. I have to say that you all seem very 'run of the mill' bunch of weapon carrying brutes. Why you have been chosen to come to our shores is what eludes me at this point"

"Our task is not yours to know at this point. I don't know if we trust you enough to even be here" Christoph was a little agitated for some reason.

Jed levelled his gaze on Christoph and pursed his lips a little "If I did not want you to be here, you wouldn't be" as if to throw that in Christoph's face. Something was not right. This upper class inn would be bustling. The dining room would have more than just Jed and the Innkeeper.

I noticed Ben, Oak and Perdu tense up and subconsciously rest their hands on their weapons.

 _"Jaxxon, stay calm and quietly come in the back door. Let me know what you see as you come in. If it's all clear come up behind the innkeeper at the other end of the room we are in and be ready. Do you understand?"_

 _"Jaxxon knows what to do"_ He answered calmly. I kept the link open while he came in.

Jed shifted his weight a little "I do however always like to know who I am dealing with. You can't ever go into a situation blindly you know. Bad business, you understand" he gestured casually as one would when explaining something simple. There was something different about the gesture.

 _"Two men in cooking place next to doorway"_

 _"Stay calm. This will get messy quickly Jaxxon. If they come out here attack the second one from behind"_

I turned to Ben and put on a fake smile "I say old bean, this is starting to remind me of the time the inspector asked for a display" I chuckled a little then looked him in the eyes "do you remember that?"

Jed interrupted then "A display of your prowess to a superior? You certainly seem the type to have a problem with authority. As I was saying, when you have the information, you have the power. Being the man I am I love to have the power" he purred with satisfaction.

"I have a little information you didn't know" with contempt written all over my face "I know you have a surprise planned for us, I also have a surprise for you if you plan to spring that surprise" I saw movement at a window for a moment "If I had to guess I would say there are two outside at the windows, the innkeeper and one..." I paused for theatricality "no, two just on the inside of that door. Were you going to capture us? Throw us like a tad bit to King Genstar?"

"Not before I found out what you were doing in this country. I have to say, you are very very good. Pity you didn't take my offer of employment you would have been very valuable"

I was not going to let this smug bully use me as a trophy. I unlocked the cage of the beast inside me. "You have no idea how good I really am. Do you? I regret to inform you that I could never work for you" The cage was open. I forced the transformation quickly as I could all the while watch the horror on his face. Then in my menacing hellish growl I uttered "You would end up working for me!"

Ben fired an arrow at the innkeeper. Oak and Perdu barrelled out the door and were met with at least two attackers. I then saw a man carrying a short sword fly throw the door behind the front desk and where Jaxxon was and shove past the now screaming Innkeeper clutching the arrow protruding from his shoulder. Christoph was on him quicker than a blink with daggers drawn. The man fended off the first attack then coped a slash to the chest.

I was not going to let this little insect get away, he did try though. It was simple enough to catch up with him and lift him from the ground by his hair. The sounds that came from Jed were of terror and desperation, they were fuel for me, driving me. I fought the overwhelming urge to throw a punch into Jed's chest that would have pulverized his ribs and probably stopped his heart cold.

"STOP!" I roared surveying the scene. Jaxxon was still latched onto one of the attackers as he flailed and stumbled through the door. "Jaxxon! Finish him or keep it down!" I boomed the command. He chirped his purr of agreement and leapt down still baring his teeth. "Bring them inside" Ben called to Oak and Perdu. Moments later oak shoved one of them inside followed by Perdu dragging another body either unconscious or dead.

"Is he dead?" Ben asked Perdu.

Perdu only grinned then dumped the body near Ben. "I say old bean, would you permit a chap a few words with the host of our little surprise party?"

I lowered the squirming Jed to the ground and with all the dignity he deserved and growled "Don't move pest!" not to disappoint he spat in my face. My natural reaction was to wind up for a punch. "I say! Easy there my good man" Ben laid a hand on my arm "He is full of all kinds of useful 'tid bits' I believe he called them".

"Shall I make him talk?" I asked Ben with some heavy witticism.

"You'll never..."

"Yes yes, 'we will never get anything out of you' right?" Ben patted his blood soaked hair and wiped his hand on Jed's shirt. "Now you planned to have us captured?"

I saw the momentary flash of vexation cross his face as he subconsciously raised a hand to his jaw.

"No no no it was merely a test of your mighty reputation. Really just a test" he forced an offhanded shrug.

"Now if what you have told me about lying big man is true. This fellow is not doing a good job of it" Ben strolled around behind Jed and leaned in to whisper "I don't like lies Jed. They irritate me so. Oak, put your friend down and hold out Jed's arm for me would you?"

Oak shoved his opponent to the ground and took Jed's arm forcing it straight out to his side at shoulder level.

"See now Jed the demonic looking fellow over here that you grossly underestimated while you were trying to play the big time crook. It looks like he has a tickle in his throat and his breath is ghastly right now and as hot as a furnace."

I took his cue and cleared my throat, which sounded more like jagged rocks grinding in my throat. Jed's face was white as a ghost. I inhaled deeply and gently blew a jet of heated air onto his hand and watched it turn red and blister almost immediately. "Watch where you're aiming that!" Oak protested.

I was not moved by Jed's screams, Perdu however left the room.

"Looks like a pretty bad burn you have there." Ben poked his hand with an arrow.

"Fine! Stop! Please!" Jed's resignation cried out.

"What were you going to do with us?" Ben demanded in a voice that would not tolerate any resistance.

"I knew OF you all. I had heard that you were coming to investigate rumours. I didn't know your names or... What... you were! I knew nothing!" He was cradling his burnt hand.

"Were we to be one of your tid bits?" Christoph interrupted.

"Y..Yes I was going to find out what you were doing exactly and then hand you over to Genstar"

"Well I don't like the sound of that at all" Ben said with feigned disappointment.

Oak grabbed the now sobbing man by the back of his shirt "So what do we do with him now?".

"Hmmm, I have an idea" I had a mounting urge to destroy the man that had tricked us. His life was something that I felt the need to play with.

"With the look on your face that's not a good idea" Christoph came between Jed and me.

"I can help you! I will use my contacts to help you find out what ever you need to know" Jed's eyes were a little wild. He was hoping not to be left alone with me.

"He has changed his tune now" Oak shoved Jed to a table.

Ben now stood over him "Why do we trust you? Your fear is making you co-operative and as meek as a chulloc chick at the moment. Why wouldn't you try to extract a little revenge after we have left? Why do we keep you alive?"

"My allegiance always lies with the more powerful enemy and let's face facts, you have a pet demon!" He was pointing wild eyed at me. That just grated my nerves. Ben could see it and Oak must have known that would provoke my anger.

"Easy boy" Oak pulled my shoulder back a little.

Ben bent down to level his eyes with Jed and from between clenched teeth growled "He is no pet!"

"Even if he does turn on us soon as we leave..." Christoph started.

"I...I won't" Jed was shaking.

"Even if he does, what does he have to report to Genstar? He doesn't know why we are here just a general Idea of who we are and which organization sent us" Christoph finished.

"We watch him until we can disappear" Ben supplied. "Just for tonight right now" Ben looked at me nodded and then nodded to Jaxxon. I planned to speak my answer, and did, however the look of surprise on his face before I spoke told me he heard me in his head.

I was shocked by that a little too I have to admit.

 _"Jaxxon, how do you feel about some guard duty tonight?"_

 _"Jaxxon does what is asked to please his pack"_

 _"We will take turns, you are to follow him if we fail, do you understand?"_

He purred to tell me he did and I started the familiar process of packing this demonic body back into my own skin. It got easier ever time, however it still caused massive amounts of pain every time.

That night we stayed in the inn and took turns guarding Jed. We were silly to think that we could hold him. It was his own domain and we woke to find he had slipped past us all, except Jaxxon. He stayed outside most of the night and reported that Jed's scent had appeared down the road a few houses and continued towards the palace.

We thought it wise to move as soon as we heard the information. We stocked up in the kitchen and just as the sun was rising we decided to head towards the market district. This city was large enough that we would be lost in the crowd in no time. I was almost certain we were being noticed if not watched or followed. We found our way to a part of the city that had was not regularly patrolled by the guards and more populated by people of the different nations. Even some of Perdu's people were here. They of course realized he was unable to speak and he explained that this made him exiled from his entire race. A sign of the utmost degradation.

Upon strolling around looking for a place to regroup and plan our infiltration we found a little tavern with distinct Svendorth style.

"We will be safe here" Oak strolled ahead of us towards the stone building with a sign in his native language hanging above the door. It was like any other building in the street as was most of the city.

"Safe lodging unt unhindered travel to you" the man behind the desk greeted us with a thick accent.

"To you as well friend" Oak boomed back to him with a smile "good to see a Svendorth so far from home".

"Ya zis is true." he was genuinely pleased to see Oak "You men look tired, vould you care for a drink? yah?" he offered us.

"I thought it was not permitted in this country?" Ben looked at him cautiously.

"It isn't" He smiled mischievously "except to zose who appreciate it" and winked at him.

"I think I like this place already" I said and sat heavily on a wooden bench against the far wall.

"What are we going to do about this task?" Christoph asked us all looking around carefully, eyeing the Barman suspiciously.

"I am noh friend to Genstar you can be sure" The old man said.

"I see, so the question remains. What do we do?" Christoph sat also and the barman bought a round of drinks.

"We get big and nasty to see if he can reach anything with his mind for a start" Ben patted my back.

"That is not a good idea. There is every chance they would be able to feel me stumbling around in their heads. I am still very new to the whole..." Tapping the side of my head "... you know, thing".

"You certainly surprised me with it last night boy"

"I have no idea how I did that. I will think about more practice when we have the time."

"Ok then, we have to find out more subtle ways of finding out what Genstar is doing and what help he is getting" Ben took a mouthful of the brew and coughed a little "wow!" he said softly.

"He is in league vis de lord of ze abyss!" The barman said disgusted with the thought.

"How do you know?" Christoph questioned him.

"Zere has been rumours of strange lights comin from ze castle. I have been valking at night oont heard noises. Zey say zis mountain behind ze castle holds many sings. A growink army of demons even!" He paused and looked at us appraisingly "I have also herd zere are passagvays leading into ze castle, If you vere lookink for such sings."

"Seems you really are no friend to Genstar" Ben took another mouthful.

"That will be our way in then" Christoph suggested.

Ben nudged me and said softly as he could yet enough for me to hear "can we trust ze barman?"

I nodded and said in the same tone "He shows no sign of hiding anything and he shows contempt and anger when he talks of Genstar".

"Do you have friends in the city? Ah...I'm sorry. I didn't get your name?" Ben inquired.

"Juz call me Unmar. Your large friend here vould be ze only one capable of pronouncing my full name. Yah I have friends in ze city, vhat do you ask for?"

"We may need to hide at a moment's notice in a few days time if you understand what I mean" Ben supplied.

"Oh, zen yah. Look for my countrymen vis a small picture off a horse on ze right side of ze door oont tell zem Unmar sent you" He smiled at us.

"You are most kind, what is the horse for?" Oak asked.

"Nosink really. Just a vay to know who is Svendors or friendly to us, ve usually have ze drink available also" that came with a cheeky wink.

"We appreciate your hospitality, can we stay the night?" I asked.

"Yah, even ze little vun can stay in ze room" He pointed to Jaxxon.

We chose a couple of rooms upstairs and took a couple of hours rest before nightfall. That night we went to find the spot where Jed had slipped out of the Inn. Jaxxon found it relatively easily. A simple wooden trapdoor behind a garden. We opened it and climbed down the ladder. We lit a torch and went in the general direction of the castle. There were many many corridors and passages. We had to stumble around in there for days while we found the right passage. We stayed with Unmar. He was only too happy to help us, a nice change from people looking at us twice. It was perhaps seven or eight days later that we found a passage that lead under the castle wall and into a guard quarters. We would watch it for a few more days to see if the traffic would get us caught before we could sneak in. That night Jaxxon was happy to stay with Unmar and get pampered.

The guard quarters were on the other side of the courtyard attached to the inside of the wall. It was a large room big enough to hold approximately twenty beds and a dining hall. It was just after the first shift change after sunset that we went in after we gave the guards time to get to sleep. A trap door in a storage room provided our entrance and opportunity to change into some guards uniforms. Oak was a little tight in his uniform but passable. We went in file across the expansive green lawn surrounded by fruit trees and flower beds. The Castle was built into the side of the mountain so the walls to either side of the lawn were shear stone cliffs reaching high into the night. So towards the front door sweating like a piglet in a wolf den we went. We got to the door and the guards either side said nothing and even opened the doors for us. Inside we were awe struck by the polished surfaces and marble columns. The rich wood furniture of the double story room was dark and also polished. The room was the height of a two story house and as wide as three of them. Two stair cases wound up at the edges of the room to the second floor that stretched the width of the room lined by a wood and metal railing. The only people we saw were two guards on each stair case and two more at the doors on the ground floor at that back of the room. There were more corridors and hallways leading off in matching directions on each side of the room.

"Now what?" I asked Ben in a hushed voice.

"The corridor to the right, find a room and we will plan the next step" he whispered back.

Following his direction we marched towards the corridor and only to have one of the guards at the back of the room next to the large ornate wooden doors call to us.

"This way!" in a loud annoyed voice.

"Do they know?" Christoph was slightly panicked.

"Quiet" I whispered.

As we got to the door the guards opened them, they made hardly a sound, then mumbled "your very early, you will have to wait for King Genstar's visitor inside". We could do nothing but nod and march through. The five of us waited till the doors closed. It was a circular room big enough to fit a full sized ship inside. There was a dome of glass above and the floor and walls were the same polished stone. There were 3 more doors around the room all as large as the one we had come through.

"Right we need to get out of here. That was way too easy and the real guards will be coming." Christoph was near panic and forced himself to breath deep.

"Stay calm Blink. Let's see what's on the other side of these doors." Ben was cool and calm "Oak, would you be so kind as to knock on that door opposite? Anyone that comes in we will take them down, quietly."

We poised ready to take down the guard. I stood back a little with my bow with Ben.

 _"You shoot first, I'll take the second if there is one"_ I sent to Ben's mind as if I had done it a million times. He looked at me with a puzzled look for a moment.

"Right" he whispered "now Oak".

Oak knocked twice, nothing.

He did it again, nothing.

"Ok open it" Ben commanded. Oak pushed the door to find an empty stone corridor.

"Must be a service passage or something" he whispered.

"Let's go, we need to find a way upstairs to the living quarters. Blink take the lead, your reflexes are quicker than the rest of us"

We wondered the corridors and explored some of the rooms without much success. The stairwell we found took us to the second floor. We found the occasional guards posted about the place and avoided them mostly. It was nearly an hour later we found the more regal looking living quarters on the third floor. Nicer carpet, Tapestries on the wall, Wood panelled corridors and gold trimmed everything.

"Genstar has to be in one of these, possibly with this mysterious visitor." Christoph strolled a few paces ahead of us and listened to another door.

"Wanna make a bet it's that door?" Oak pointed to the door at the end of the corridor. It was dark wood, polished gold trimmed and fancier than any of the others.

"Check it" Ben tapped my shoulder and pointed to the door "see if you can use your head thingy and see what's on the inside".

I gave him a worried look.

"Just do it" he said.

"Yes wrangler" I said dryly. I reached out with my mind, searching the immediate area. It was a shaky search. I had never tried to search for humans before I was also preoccupied with being aware of any other minds that would be able to pick up on my mental stumbling. Then something caught my attention. There was someone in there. Not a demon, more like a human that had demonic energies tainting its image. Genstar. He was saying something, muffled and quiet. I heard the words 'Tadlomar' and 'the rest will fall'. I focused and felt the sweat start to bead on my forehead as I searched the rest of the room. Slowly I tried to minimize the chance of detection. I gasped and opened my eyes wide.

"It's with Genstar! It's a demon, a powerful demon" I was panting "We have to get out of here now!"

"Why? Did it see you?" Christoph said condescendingly.

"Not now!" Ben barked.

"Tadlomar and rest will fall was all I could hear" I got up and started heading to the door.

"I have a feeling this is a fight we will never forget" Oak said with a slight grin.

"Let's get out of here, head back to the tunnel" Ben started following.

"We might encounter some resistance" Christoph suggested.

"We march out, I will do the talking. Just be ready if my diplomacy skills don't work"

We got out to the main foyer and the two guards who were posted there stopped us.

"What are you doing? Where is King Genstar's guest?" The guard was not a simpleton he looked us all over carefully "What's going on?"

 _"He won't believe us, he actually has intelligence and he is one step away from sounding the alarm"_ I thought I only sent that to Ben. The next thing I knew Oak threw a punch to the one talking and his eyes glazed over. Perdu jumped on the other guards back and choked him till he passed out.

"That was kinda weird" Oak raised an eyebrow at me.

I looked at them all kinda sheepish "yeah, I'm working on it".

"Ok when they wake up the alarm will be raised let's move" we headed towards the huge front doors to the castle. They burst open and a group of seven guards rushed in "That's them!"

"Oh Cralloc" I sighed.

They all rushed towards us, Oak and Perdu took the front and started swinging the swords that came with the guard's uniform. Christoph scooted around to flank them on the left side. This commotion caught the attention of any guards up on the second floor. They came to the balcony and started yelling for the alarm.

"We need to vacate!" I called out.

Ben was flanking to the right "Working on it! Since they know we are here now. How about, I don't know, turning into something big and nasty and get us out!"

I had already started the change.

"He is one of them!" I heard a guard cry.

"By Zeous!" another cried.

When my painful transition had finished I let out a roar. "Follow me!"

Oak and Perdu got out of the way just in time. I flew past them with arms outstretched, catching most of the guards in the head or neck without losing an ounce of momentum. They fell like they were made of pillows. I fought a dreadful desire inside me to turn around and lay waste to the entire guard platoon. I felt a craving rise inside, I wanted to destroy and slay the life around me. The guard unit sleeping inside the barracks we used to come in had been roused and were half dressed and charging across the courtyard with weapons waving menacingly.

"Don't kill them!" Ben howled from behind me "We have caused enough of a stir to add murder to this escapade!"

 _"They mean to kill you demon, they will not show you the same quarter"_ came the strange dark voice inside my head like a low rumble. It lent fuel to that compulsion inside I was fighting against. _"Do what it is in you to do. There will be no consequence of your actions. Your power is greater than any around you."_ The voice was a purr of seduction that turned my anger into a heavy wave of pleasurable menace. I felt my steps slow and the outside world fall into a murky din.

"GO! What are you doing?" was the last frantic words I heard from one of my companions, although I had no idea which one of them screamed the words.

I was in complete control of my actions. That much I knew. My intentions were not my own now. I came to a stop before the charging wave of men and stood straight with arms open "Strike upon me and finish yourselves! I am your end!" That dark booming voice made them falter.

"He can't kill us all!" one of them shouted, there were approximately twenty.

The charge of the men set off an explosion in my mind. I grew my claws as long as I could and sent a ripple of flame over my body. It was exhilarating. I drew in a breath and close my eyes for a moment.

"So is your end! Your pain will feed me." I reached for the first one and picked the man up by the head. As I swept his body up ready to hurl it at his companions I felt the snap of bone and I started to laugh a hideous laugh. His body barrelled into five or six others, they stumbled and picked themselves up. Another landed a sword into my thigh that sank to half the blade length. The pain was exquisite. I had never felt anything close to that experience in my life before. The owner of the sword was next to die and found his fate at the tips of my claws that now protruded from his back. I threw the dying man over my shoulder and heard a shattering of glass as he hit one of the colored glass windows.

A few sweeping slashes of my hands in a wide arc in front of me sent ribbons of blood through the air, the odd hand or finger even a chunk of wet bloody flesh followed. There were six of them down now. I pulled the sword out of my leg slowly and howled with the experience. This finally sent the remaining guards back on their heels. They did not retreat. These men were obviously experienced with this kind of encounter.

 _"Your prowess is proven. Lay aside your fury for now. You have come so far. My creation, the product of my designs come to life"_ I was calming down with wave after wave of what I assumed was pride. I was fitting back into my human form, gaining control over my emotions now. The voice faded into a shadow in the corner of my mind when I finally felt normal again.

"Ok men, he will come in peace now. Let's not agitate this one. Seems he is more than a handful." There was an official sounding voice behind me. I was too drowsy at this point to care. I looked around at the devastation I caused, it was hellish. Men groaned and lay dying.

"See to them" the voice commanded "Well now boy, you have just become a guest of King Genstar of Zeous." He said.

I did catch a glimpse of a face I recognized ducking back into a doorway, they had got away safe it seems. That bought some sense of relief, enough to let me collapse into darkness.

My dreams consisted of a many great things. The hooded man I saw with Genstar, Home, My mother, Jaxxon and Attmore City burning with great plumes of black smoke rising above it. I wondered through each dream detached from it, to me it seemed reality. A reality that I could not reach one that was forever out of my grasp. Then the hooded man appeared in the doorway of the farm and I recognized him. We had met before. His red rimmed eyes were glowing this time. Looking into me he spoke with a reverence "Rise from this slumber. Rise and see the face of the one who had known you all your life" and I did.

Chapter 9

I could not move and I could not see. The dark in the room they put me was so thick it almost had substance. I was not alone in this room either. The hooded figure in my dreams was watching me. I could feel his presence. The grip he had on my mind was total. I tried to find that beast inside only to feel nothing there. It was a sobering thought, to have something that was a part of me seemingly vanish without trace.

"You seek that is within you to save you?" His voice purred "Fear not boy. I would not, nor could I, separate the beautiful creature within you from this visage of mortality"

I stayed quiet, unsure if I should speak.

"There are questions within you. I am certain of this. Speak and belay your fears."

I remained tight lipped.

"Perhaps the passage of time will open a route to your thoughts and encourage a dialogue. We both have all the time we require" His passivity was grating on my nerves a little. I had a pretty good idea who he was.

"It's been a long time since you stayed in our barn, I was a boy then"

I could hear his smile as he spoke "Yes the passage of time means little to us in truth. I recall the time. That instance was the first time the ruler of the abyss and our master had laid eyes on you. He made use of my vision and beheld his creation with pride"

"I am no creature of the abyss!" I threw the statement defiantly knowing it would get no reaction from him.

"Born of this world, to be sure. The blood in your veins can not be untrue. You share the same heritage as even me"

"I don't know what I am, but no way in my existence will I call you brother you foul demon"

"Surely you are aware that your existence is indefinite? Perhaps your perceptions and favour will change in time"

"I am never going to die?" it was a statement more than a question. Those words made my head spin with the implications of an eternal life. What was I exactly? Why me? What of my family? Then my heart sank at the thought of my mother. Tears started to well in my eyes.

"I am astonished at your unfamiliarity with the matters of your heritage. Instincts are part of the process. Innate knowledge surfaces a short while after maturity. Most of these insects around us would revel in the gift of being relieved of their mortal coil"

I wasn't sure if that was an insult that I was not mature yet or that I was a defective demon. I was still grappling with the idea of immortality at that point. Knowing that I will watch every person I have cared about die. "How long have I been here?" I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer after finding out that 'a lifetime' had new meaning.

"Your time spent unconscious has been brief, a mere night."

"They would still be in the city" I mumbled with relief.

This being heard me of course "Your companions while reluctant to leave a brother in arms behind will leave this place, and you."

I realized then that my internal cage had been sealed only after I started workout out my escape route. If I could get a mental message out quick enough maybe he wouldn't be able to stop it. Assuming I could reach them or that he even knew I could do that. I thought of my friends and Jaxxon and what I would say and attempted it.

 _"I'm ok, look after mother and Jaxxon. I will come ho..."_ It was blank as though night had fallen in an instant.

"Your resourcefulness was underestimated. Your will is greater than I predicted" He sounded impressed "Your companion, the Braldo, Jaxxon is a loyal friend. His natural connection to you in concert with your talents will make an interesting project".

"Leave him alone!" I threatened.

"Work will need to be done of course. The master will be informed of our choice"

"Our choice? I didn't choose anything!" It was then that I tried again to find that monster inside. I would die before he hurt Jaxxon. I could feel the demon inside me trying to break free.

"Strong indeed" My captor commented quietly "Would it be your decision to see Master Jaxxon die?"

"Never! Leave him alone or I will kill you!" The threat was more out of desperation. My anger and will were being suffocated by him.

"That may be so at a time far from now, I cannot say. Your choice to keep your companions life is made then. Your journey through the ages will not be a solitary existence."

I heard him move to the door and knock lightly. A small barred portal opened and let in the blinding light of the torches in the hall outside.

"I request a sum of men made available to search the city for a tame braldo"he paused in thought and I felt a push on my mind "The animal has scars and a piece absent from one of its ears. It will possibly show a presence around the gates before nightfall. Feed and shelter the animal with hospitality until further notice"

The guard nodded and closed the portal. I caught a slight smile that was half pleasure and concentration. He had to maintain my internal restraints it seemed.

"Your companion's loyalty and devotion will ensure his future. He will come for you"

I knew he was right. It was only a matter of time. I wanted to warn him to make him know that I didn't ask for this to happen to him. I was totally powerless and unable to even help myself.

"Rest your fears my young friend, he will receive a gift of almost unlimited power. Your bond will be reinforced and prove an asset in the ages to come. I will commune with our master so that he may ready the gift." He truly believed that he was giving Jaxxon a gift and by that making Jaxxon a gift to me. This demon had a tight grip on my anger, I could only cry. I made the selfish choice to keep Jaxxon forever.

Of course my best friend forgave me, but I will get to that later.

It was perhaps days I spent restrained to that table in that dark room. The sense of time was extremely difficult to keep track of. I tried to meditate in my mind remembering the things in my life that had given me the will to keep going. My mother and Dalfen, I knew she would be safe for the rest of her life with him. She would go on as she has before. I would come home to her, to my friends who I considered my family. Oak was the strong and silent uncle that was always up for a drink and some rough and tumble, tavern brawls were always more fun with him. Christoph although increasingly erratic and nervous was the conscience forever erring on the side of safety, but when it came to a pinch his blades and quickness were forever ready to defend those he cared for. Perdu the silent watcher his disposition was perhaps lightest of us all. He put us all before himself. Ben was my brother, a connection I had my entire life he taught me to be a man and how to provide for a family. He showed me skills in all areas of my life that I will be forever grateful for. Jaxxon my companion, his devotion was second to none and often threw himself between me and any form of danger with no regard for the outcome. That made me look after him and watch out for him even more. When I was not thinking about my family I meditated and tried to gather the power that I suspected the Key Holders use. Given my unique nature and ample amount of time I was confident that I could use it too. I thought maybe that my captor wouldn't be able to stop a different kind of energy.

I could not guess at the days that past before the demon that held me spoke again. I had forgotten he was there. "I trust your sojourn was restful? I have concluded communing with our master"

"Your master" I muttered.

"... and our master has seen merit in our choice to redeem the being called Jaxxon. Your companion is alive and well. His gift is near complete and will join us shortly. I expect you would enjoy a constitutional?"

"How long has it been?" I growled.

"Oh yes, the mundane practise of observing the passage of time with meaningless titles. The nature of your adopted race to compartmentalize measurements of time intrigues me. For your own mind it has been almost a full cycle"

His answer set my head spinning, a full cycle was not possible. It felt like only days.

What had happened? How was this possible? What of my family?

"Let us take our leave of this room." I felt the restraints that had held me fade into nothing. Raising my arms was painful, stiff. I sat up and reached for the cage inside me, still locked.

The hooded demon walked to the door and knocked lightly. A surprised looking guard opened the portal. "Sir?"

"Were my instructions for the braldo carried out?" he said calmly.

"Yes sir" the guard replied "we have cared for and fed the animal".

"Open the door, we will be leaving now" he said simply.

The guard opened the door, I wanted to run. The freedom was there for the taking. Then there was a pressing on my mind again.

"Without the control of the beast inside you will not realize your freedom, it would be advised not to attempt your plan."

I was not really going to. The thought was enough to get a warning. "I don't like anyone in here without my permission" tapping the side of my head I stared into his demonic eyes challenging him to try again.

"Forgive the intrusion. Your lack of dialogue forces my hand. Were you to converse regularly the need for the probing would not be needed. Continue your anti-social behaviour and I will be forced to continue" His smug grin was infuriating.

I moved so close that my face was almost touching his, I concentrated hard as I could. Imagining thick stone walls around my mind I uttered the words "Try it". Immediately I was knocked backwards out of the cell door into the hallway and against the stone wall opposite. He had not moved a muscle. The torchlight was blazing and hurt my eyes. Head spinning and all I could see was a toppling stone wall inside my mind followed by the demons face.

 _"Never threaten anyone or anything you are unable to do contest with!"_ His voice filled my mind.

"I trust you have no desire to issue the challenge again?" He looked down with contempt now. That was the first time I saw the demon aggressive or violent in any way.

"Who are you?" I stumbled to my feet.

"I am the voice and eyes of our master, this I have made you aware of." his face returned to an empty headed smile.

"Your name" I pressed.

"Forgive my ignorance, I am unaccustomed to the intricacies of the human social structure, if I had a name it would be Xillon. Yes, I believe that will suffice" speaking as if he had only just chosen his name.

We walked through the halls and out to the front courtyard where my time in captivity began. The guard house on one side of the courtyard and the stable on the other. Now that I had time to see it all properly the gardens were beautiful. The late afternoon air was cool and fresh. The sun was receding over the mountain behind the castle and the air was still. The flowers weren't blooming at this time of the cycle yet the garden still seemed peaceful. I was admiring the view of the city below in the valley and breathing in the cool air when I was bowled over. I knew instantly what it was, the loud vocal purring was a sign he was happy to see me. Jaxxon does not lick people often but this time he couldn't help himself. I was happy again. I forgot the world and my captivity for a moment because I had my best friend again.

"As you can see your companion is unharmed and in good spirits"

"You said he would be changed" I accused.

"And he will be, our master will bestow a gift upon Jaxxon now"

"No" a sadness was welling up inside me.

"It is of course always an option to have the animal destroyed"

"Soon as I am able to, I will kill you for doing this" This time the threat had conviction.

"True as that may be for now. It is time. You may brief your friend of the events to come as we walk"

I did not want to have this talk with Jaxxon. To tell him he would become what he feared in me. It was tearing me up inside.

 _"It is good to see you again my friend, the time has passed very quickly for me. This demon tells me it has been a year"_ I hoped he understood.

 _"Jaxxon has waited long my pack master. I would not leave. Jaxxon protects you from bad things. Where do we go now?"_

 _"We go inside the castle. The demon in the robe wants to give you something. Something that will change you"_

 _"Jaxxon will always be Jaxxon"_

 _"Yes you will. Please do not think I chose this for you. It was this or you would die, and I could not allow them to kill you"_

 _"Understanding is difficult. Jaxxon is happy you chose to keep Jaxxon alive"_

We walked back inside the castle and back into the large round room with domed glass ceiling. The guards stopped at the inside of the doors while Jaxxon, Xillon and I stood in the center of the room. Xillon took a deep breath and bowed his head. The room started to darken and swirl. I could no longer see the walls and the thick black clouds rose up along the walls higher. I looked down at Jaxxon. He was scared, even animal expressions of fear are obvious. They are extremely similar to humans.

 _"Be brave Jaxxon. I won't let anything happen to you"_

 _"Jaxxon will protect you. Pack master will not be hurt"_

 _"I know you will protect me, just stay calm for now"_

That reassured him a little and he nudged my hand until it rested on his head. Xillon's voice, or a version of it, echoed in our conversation. _"Jaxxon, you will receive a gift consummated by pain. You will be more than you are and able to protect your pack master with greater proficiency"_

 _"Jaxxon would prefer if this demon did not talk in our private talk without permission. It is not the way"_ Jaxxon was very proper when it came to manners as he got older. Sometimes it did make me laugh.

The room was then consumed by the dark. Even the floor beneath our feet was dark as pitch. It was a little disconcerting standing on nothing. Xillon turned to face us both and raised his head to meet my eyes. I was taken aback by his now bright red eyes burning like a blacksmiths forge. His shape grew larger. His robes faded and melted into his ever growing body. His new voice shook me as he spoke.

"You will now leave the animal, Jaxxon. His gift is near completion." He looked to be chewing on his face as he spoke through lips that were no longer human. A wide mouth and sharp teeth replaced his human features. Horns of a bull grew from his forehead and curved to face me. Still growing he was twice his normal size. Looking past his darkening form two massive wings emerged from the darkness, easily the size of the massive front doors to the castle. The immensity of his size now made me a little uneasy, feeling slightly suffocated. To break the tension I spoke.

"This...This is your true form?" My voice was shaking despite my efforts to show some confidence.

"It is with effort that my human form is maintained. The abyss releases me of the obligation. You were created of human form, both facades reside within you. Your shift while painful is natural. The demonic form you chose before you were detained is but a small taste of your abilities. Within you the abyssal energy has no true form. That is how you and I differ. You are more than able to choose any form you deem appropriate" His tone was that of instructor and mentor rather than captor. Every part of my being resisted his instruction and attempts at bonding. He meant to claim me for the abyss, the purpose for which will become apparent shortly. He was to be my teacher it seemed.

"What about Jaxxon? What will he be?" I added a little heat to the questions to boost my own confidence more than anything else. It was faltering at that point, I must admit.

"He will be much like you. No true form. He will have the ability to transform his body into a living weapon much like you. Training will of course be required. This is where your obligation starts"

"I won't teach him to fight for you or your master" I would protect my best friend from as much as I could.

"Time has a way of coercing a will with appropriate pressure" The evil smile from that mouth made me want to punch the behemoth towering over me. My own fury was now solidly and unwaveringly controlled "It is now time".

He vanished from view but his presence was still larger than life. My own body had vanished also. A disembodied feeling was not new to me after my adventures searching outside my body for the demon near Forecom. This was different though, I felt like I was everywhere at once. Jaxxon was alone in the thick blackness of the abyss frozen in fear.

"Stay calm Jaxxon, I'm still here" The sound of my voice came from all directions. It still calmed him enough.

"You will experience sensations above pain Jaxxon. Prepare yourself" Xillon's voice boomed. Jaxxon did however understand and visibly steeled himself. I was proud of my brave companion and sorry for the experience he was about to have.

The void was still, the kind of still that felt heavy. Darkness and Jaxxon were the only things that existed for a few moments. Jaxxon's body lifted off an invisible floor and he appeared to be floating in the middle of nowhere. Slowly the appearance of ethereal tendrils were extending from the distant black. Purples and whites and reds of every shade and despite the evil foreboding that was permeating the scene, it was almost beautiful. The tendrils danced and intertwined with each other reaching for my stoic companion bracing for something he had no comprehension of. The tendrils were multiplying and gaining momentum. A feint sound was in the distance, the sound of twisting and cracking wood or something similar.

"Jaxxon!" Xillon's voice like thunder. Startled, Jaxxon purred loudly. "To remain at your keeper's side" the voice paused for a few dragging moments. "You will be REBORN!"

The crack of that last word unleashed the pent up energy behind the tendrils as they became more like snakes chasing down prey. They raced towards my brave companion and as each ethereal and nearly transparent cord struck into Jaxxon he bellowed a yowl of torment. Each strike felt like it was hitting me too, his pain twisted my stomach and I could feel the rage again for the first time since being captured. I just could not feel a corporeal body to manifest that rage in. I was still helpless and harmless. I wanted to help my friend.

 _"Stay strong Jaxxon! You are my defender and you are stronger than this"_ I thought provoking his sense of duty and love towards me would give him the fortitude to endure the wracking torment. It worked.

 _"Your Jaxxon is strong!"_ he was resolute and defiant. His howls became whimpers and his struggle with the pain became flinches until the cords stopped coming. He hung there in the void like a spider in the middle of a web. Xillon's voice was calm and sounded more like his human voice.

"He will remain transfixed in this state until the infusion is complete"

"How long will that take?" My rage was dying back down. I could feel his grip over me return.

"Your human fascination with time will forever vex me. He will remain here for but a few days of your time."

As he said that, Jaxxon faded into the void fixed into position. My own body came together like liquid fog. The thick black emptiness broke up as if thunderclouds after a storm and the castle returned.

"You have no recourse but to remain a guest of Genstar and myself for the foreseeable future" he was a little smug.

"You and me will have words. Genstar also has to answer a couple of questions".

He held a hand towards the large doors.

Chapter 10 "Answers"

It was early evening when Xillon and I emerged from that chamber followed by the ever present guarded escort. I had so many questions building inside my head. Xillon and Genstar had the answers, I knew it.

"Your queries will be seen to shortly, for the moment I believe you require a meal. Your seat is waiting in the dining hall" I followed him upstairs to the dining room. It was opulent to say the least. Polished wood furniture with silver trim and velvet cushions. The table was long enough to hold thirty people comfortably. Of course it was dressed with all silver cutlery, bright white plates and crystal wine glasses at every place. The walls filled with more tapestries and paintings along polished wood walls. Fireplace burned behind the head of the table where my dinner companion sat. Genstar.

This man was near fifty, dark brown un-kept hair and dressed like any other citizen. He looked up at me without a change in expression he nodded and gestured to a seat next to the head of the table. He looked tired, bags under his eyes and an unshaven beard that surprisingly looked groomed. Well-built man also, he struck me as the kind of leader that did his own dirty work when it was called for, swung his own sword in battle. The red scar on his neck suggested he was also a little reckless in a fight. No one that seasoned leaves an opening like that unless he is a risk taker. This man was a barely restrained bull aching to charge.

I always liked to push things so I opened with a question I knew would get the man engaged. "So, in my forced slumber over the last year have you started your war on Tadlomar Genstar?" He did not intimidate me.

"Sit down child." he said more broken and troubled than I expected. I obliged and took my seat. "My war on the western kingdoms is inevitable. The details of which are not your business, yet."

"The abyss controls your fate also then." I jabbed.

He raised his eyes from his empty plate "You of all should know the abyss controls everything. Your heritage of course being well established by now, I was prepared for your coming days before you arrived, you and your companions. Preterri has my ears and eyes in every doorway, and despite my current appearance I am content with the way things are going. Can you say the same? I hear you're quite resistant to the way things are going?" He remained as expressionless as possible. He seemed to be making an effort to do this.

"You have heard a lot of things it would seem. I can see you are struggling with something and you are doing your very best not to show it. When a King loses control of his empire it will take its toll, such as it is on you. You know I can read people quite easily." I paused "now how would you have known that we were coming? Certainly not your keeper Xillon here. He has his talents but his powers of observation are not the best and he shares information like he shares compliments"

He stepped forward "Power breeds contempt, it would seem my own has sown seeds of negligence. Keeping the company of humans has made me dull as it were."

Both Genstar and I were looking at Xillon with puzzlement until I spoke.

"Yes, anyway" I turned back to Genstar. "Who would have known that little tid bit of information" Then with those words I remembered exactly who. I said nothing about my suspicions in case I was wrong and let it drop.

"I have eye's everywhere. My network is larger than you anticipate. For instance I know that your particular private company has in the last year started accruing resources and has, last season, tendered an offer to supply the forces of the Tadlomar crown with weapons, food and even equipment."

A smile of satisfaction crept onto my face as I remembered my instructions for Dalfen. I gave him too little credit, quite the sharp mind.

"My business manager had the advantage of my military ties. The coming conflict was just a hunch on my part. He has done well it would seem." I was not going to hide my pride.

"Hemming Supply is by no means the biggest or most successful business in the west. Your pride is premature. You have not got the contract yet." He sniffed and stifled a yawn.

"Did you kill Jed for not delivering us to you?" I threw it out there causally hoping he would bite. He raised an eyebrow and tightened his lips just a fraction. He took the bait.

"It has been a year. I don't recall if it was a man named Jed or his fate" He was lying.

"He is slippery isn't he. Did he get away from you too?" I was just guessing that time. It got a bigger reaction than I thought.

"The man named Jed is no longer my concern" he said with contempt. Jed did escape him it seemed.

"Ok the time for play is over. Xillon you and the king owe me answers"

"You are in no position to demand anything right now the Crowns Hunters didn't do a good job of instilling any respect in you did they." He went back to trying to hide his expressions.

"Of course with concerns as to your purpose" Xillon stepped forward and place his fingers together. "You were created to facilitate the introduction of more of your kind into the armed forces of Zeous."

"More?" the idea hit me like a boulder. "You want more of me? For what purpose?"

"Genstar, would you like to elaborate on the particulars of the coming events?" Xillon put a hand on Genstar's shoulder. He looked up at Xillon with traces of anger and contempt in his eyes.

"What do you owe them Genstar?" I interrupted. "What do they have hanging over your head to make you just as reluctant as I am to hear this?"

He sighed and slumped his shoulders a little. "The Lord of the abyss has seen Zeous and this castle as a perfect stage to set up for the expansion of his domain. The mountain this castle is built into has caverns that would fit this whole city inside many times over."

This was another one of those moments when you realize that the world you know is about to change and nothing can and will make it the same again. My jaw would have been resting on the table if I didn't control myself. Inside was shear panic my mind telling me to run and find a way to escape. I had to get home and tell Inspector P and anyone that will listen.

"You mean The Lord of the abyss wants your help or he will destroy you and your country?" I asked Genstar. He nodded stoically and said nothing. I had to get out. I would wait for Jaxxon and then find a way out.

The meal was of course very sumptuous and decadent. It had a side order of awkward silence and uncomfortable glances. Genstar was no more the tyrant than he was being pushed to be. I was unwittingly pulling more information out of him than he expected. I did have a slight feeling of pity for the man, until I remembered he was in league with the demons and was aiming to destroy all that I knew and loved. After the meal Xillon and the guard detail escorted me to a state room that Genstar and Xillon had made available to me. For all his faults I had to admit, he was honourable and respectful even to his 'guests'. He could have put me in a cell in his dungeon in the bowels of the castle. That night I did not sleep. I could feel the presence of Xillon in my mind, a familiar feeling. I was not sure if he knew I was aware of his presence or if he was really paying much attention to what I was thinking. I would soon find out.

I spent hours that night doing something the Key Holders had shown me at Forecom. I was meditating hoping it was only my conscious mind he was monitoring. Using my subconscious I could focus on a way I could block Xillon from the rest of my mind and keep him in a dark corner so he would be none the wiser. Severing the link would bring too much attention to what I was doing and would no doubt alert him. I was not even sure if he was paying attention at that point. So for hours I worked on a mental barrier in my subconscious mind, using my will and any Key Holders energy may have had to strengthen the block. I would not put it in place until I had Jaxxon by my side and ready to attempt my escape. This would require planning, and perhaps some time to prepare. I was going to give myself three days. It meant a sleepless three days but I had to give it everything I had. My morals were going to have to go on hold, if it came down to it, I would fight my way out.

Over the next three days I feigned a lot of interest in my heritage and actually put on an act of defeat and acceptance in hopes they would relax a few things like my escort. It didn't work totally. My escort was reduced to two guards and Xillon for the most part did not accompany me. I explored the gigantic castle during my waking hours looking for an advantage. Where to get a weapon, where I was best to hide, which way out would be best and how to start the process. I knew my activities would be relayed back to Genstar and Xillon I had little choice but to continue until they questioned me about what I was doing.

The day came when Jaxxon was to be returned to this world from the abyss. I missed my loyal companion deeply. Xillon was at my door that morning sombre as always, "Your companion awaits." is all he said and motioned for me to join him. Apprehension was running high walking to that chamber. I had questions running through my head like, would he look different? Would he behave different? Would he know who I am? I forgot Xillon was monitoring my thoughts.

"Your companion will be physically unchanged. His memories are not affected by the gift. He will be as you recall him in every way, but more" He startled me by answering my questions out loud. We reached the door of the chamber and he asked the guards to remain outside as we entered. They complied and stood guard outside. The cavernous room once again started filling with black liquid haze until not even my own body was visible. It was a few moments before Jaxxon emerged from the void directly in front of me. I wanted to reach out to him again my body was gone. In frustration I reached for my companion in my mind only to notice that Xillon's presence had disappeared from inside my consciousness. I ceased the opportunity to place my mental block up and found that it was quite easy to do, easier than I expected. I tentatively reached out beyond the limits of my own thoughts and the sensation of the void surrounding me was both exhilarating and terrifying. It was like waking up in the middle of a calm ocean in the middle of the night with a phobia of deep water. I reached out for Jaxxon again.

 _"Jaxxon, I'm here. Are you ok?"_

 _"Jaxxon needs to rest. Jaxxon wants to go home now. That would be best"_

 _"Does it hurt still?"_

 _"Pain still strong, Jaxxon feels pain different now"_

"Let him go" I demanded of Xillon.

"The process is near completion." His calm voice came back from somewhere in the void.

As he finished the words the glowing tendrils that held Jaxxon in place started to release and fade into nothing. The relief was visible, with each fading vine of energy Jaxxon relaxed more.

"It's over now Jaxxon" He tried to find where my voice was coming from. "Just give it a moment."

Then a different voice reverberated throughout the massive expanse of nothing. "Jaxxon Hemming! You have received my gift and will now forever be in the service of the Abyss!"

Then I heard something else, something that sounded out of place. It was a voice I had known for a long time but never actually heard. It was a very similar to my own voice, higher pitched and had a slight rough quality to it.

"Jaxxon is commanded by the pack master. That is proper" He was very 'matter of fact' about defying the ruler of a dimensional world. I almost had to laugh with pride. I also expected some repercussions for it too. What came next shocked me a little, laughter.

"Ha! Defiance in a mind so naive is natural. I, Mastema, am not a petty deity. SO BE IT!"

I then felt a presence gaze upon me that was overwhelming and oppressing as the weight of all the world's oceans were upon me. It was then that I thought it best to temporarily remove the blockage. It would only have been brushed aside like nothing and my only chance of escape gone. The voice Mastema directed at me was rich and clear, it was a voice of authority and supreme confidence none could topple. My previous bouts with authority had no place now. My defiance and rebellious tendencies did not even consider making an appearance.

"You, product of my greed and desire, this animal has a noble mind and shows no fear. Jaxxon claims you as his ruler and commander. I have the power to change this. However, I have seen into Jaxxon's very essence and seen a bond that ties his life to your own. Breaking this bond would be the demise of you both and I am not one to waste valuable assets. Your lives are now shared child of mine, as long as you draw breath, so shall your companion. Immortality was always yours. It is now shared in your brother Jaxxon. Xillon will be your commander. Your defiance will raise no temper with that one. Now return to the world you were born into and serve the one you were made for." Mastema's mood turned quickly to dismissal. With the blink of an eye the chamber returned to daylight stinging my eyes and Xillon's presence had snapped back into place.

Jaxxon slumped to the ground after his ordeal I could only imagine what he went through. He was ok, just drained of everything he had and he earned the rest.

"He stays in my quarters until he recovers" I said out loud without looking at Xillon. Kneeling down to scoop up Jaxxon he started to hum. I had forgotten how big and heavy he was it was a little awkward carrying him back to my room, escorted of course, and I lay him down on the red velvet covered divan at the end of my bed. Asking the guards for some water and a hot meal for Jaxxon the guard looked at me and gave a contemptuous grunt. "Just do it, or the big nasty beast inside me will ask you to do it" with that his bravado softened into resignation and he left.

I spent the rest of Jaxxon's recovery time strengthening my mental fortifications and going over the plan to get back home. It was a whole year, what changes had happened? Dalfen had handled my instructions better than I had hoped. His actions in the business world had caught the notice of Genstar. My mother was still visibly running the business. I don't know if my message got through that I will come home. What had happened to Ben, Oak, Christoph and Perdu? I wondered if they got into too much trouble for losing the Crown's Hunters biggest asset. Then I remembered The Riders Rest and the many nights I spent with them all talking about everything that a family does. The upcoming missions, the past missions and the many different demons we had dealt with. I would get home again, I would hunt wild boar with Ben again. I would feel the warmth of my mother's comforting embrace again.

It was two days later when Jaxxon was well enough to move with any ease again, he had found his way into my bed and I woke up with a hind paw in my ear and a tail in my mouth. I didn't care in the slightest. Removing fur from my tongue I touched his mind. _"Good morning, I see you're feeling better."_ He yawned and started humming.

 _"Jaxxon is not so tired anymore. Jaxxon would prefer to sleep next to the pack master from now on, it is proper."_

 _"Yes my friend it is proper."_ I smiled and got up. Before I got dressed Xillon had knocked on the door.

"I trust your companion is well today?" Something told me he already knew. "It is suggested that Jaxxon be instructed to use his gift. Training will begin in the courtyard after breakfast." His pasty smile and polite manner were starting to annoy me. "King Genstar also requests your company for breakfast this morning" he paused as he recalled the words "a little cryptic were his words you understand. Tell my special guest I will get to know him this morning. A true warrior knows his weapon like a hunter knows his prey." That sparked a little interest. Puzzling to say the very least. A seemingly reserved man of power wants to reach out to one of his captives. It's was either a trap or something else, something bigger.

The King was at the head of the table again, the fireplace was cold and the morning light silhouetted his tall backed wooden chair in shadow.

"A little imposing don't you think Genstar?" I strolled up to the place that was set for me.

"Xillon, a moment please" he waved Xillon out of the room and waited till he had left "I know you have little respect for me boy. That is something that I can overlook, these demons are different." He sounded grim. Clearly not in the mood for my witty banter. "Your disrespectful behaviour is going to get you killed." Something was not right here. He knew how valuable I was to these demons and that I was in no danger what so ever yet he was making statements that would make me pay attention. He then reached into his shirt and placed a letter on the table. "I don't want any kind of trouble within these walls" he emphasised 'within' and paused. He pointed to the door silently and pointed to his head and nodded "do you understand?" he raised his eyebrows hopeful I caught his message.

"Now that is out of the way I would like to know you better." He pushed the letter to me and pointed to my shirt. I didn't need him to spell it out. I slipped the folded paper into my shirt.

"Genstar your spies know more about me than what I could tell you." I showed him my usual attitude to keep up the charade.

"Your material presence in this world is no secret to anyone. I know little about your personality, and that does not sit well with people under my control. A true warrior knows his weapons and a true leader knows how to use them the right way. When I know you well enough, I will know how to use you best" It sounded a little rehearsed but only to those who know what to look for.

"Where I come from you know someone best by how they fight you. Genstar I know your reckless, but have enough talent with a sword to compensate for that tendency. That would mean you always have a plan and a backup plan, a way out if things get too dark" That last sentence I emphasized a couple of words slightly, trying to inadvertently ask if there was a plan. If he was as intelligent as I thought he was he would know how to read between the lines. He gave a small nod looking into my eyes.

"This is getting me nowhere" he said loud enough that is Xillon was listening he would hear. "I hope you're not going to be around long, my nerves won't last" nearly yelling, he stood and stormed out. "Xillon you have your work cut out for you with him".

Xillon just looked into the room and said "Such an abrasive personality that you scare off the royalty, A talent unexpected. If you have finished your meal you and Jaxxon will meet me in the courtyard."

"Jaxxon now has the ability to imitate you more than he currently does, your proximity will help each other recover faster also. If you would now instruct Jaxxon on the process I will aid the transformation should the need arise" We stood in the middle of a large grassed area within the courtyard.

 _"Jaxxon prepare yourself. This will be very uncomfortable and probably painful."_

 _"Jaxxon is experienced with feeling pain. It will be easy for Jaxxon"_

 _"Ok, I will show you inside your head how I do it. When you try it you will feel like you're going to explode, you won't really, just let it happen. Do you understand?"_ Before he could answer I was picked up like I was made of straw and thrown into the stone wall hearing the crack I immediately thought it was my own body that broke somehow. I shook my head and stood up, it hurt all over to be sure, but I was ok. The crack was in the stone Block behind me. Then a chilling throaty howl echoed the courtyard. Jaxxon was livid. His long white teeth were bared and his tongue was flicking past them at random. He was intense and aiming himself to unleash it on Xillon.

"Show him" Xillon commanded me calmly preparing for Jaxxon's attack.

 _"Feel that anger build Jaxxon. Let it build like this"_ I tried to show him what I went through from the inside.

 _"Jaxxon sees red. The Xillon must be destroyed. There is too much Jaxxon inside"_

 _"Let it build, let it fill you up inside until it comes out like an explosion"_

The sounds Jaxxon started making then scared me. I had never heard him sound like that before. He was on the verge of a roar. There was also the sound of grinding stone coming from his throat. "Let it out Jaxxon!" I called.

Then the companion I had known and loved convulsed and jerked. "That's it! Let it happen!" I started jogging towards him. His back started sprouting long curved spikes like a garden. His spine broke the skin and extended into a ridge of bony armour. Muscles grew and his fur started receding into his now darkening skin. More armour grew out of his chest and along his tail. At the end of his tail came barbs like fish hooks, and looked to be just as sharp. Still letting out the howls that chilled me his long white teeth grew longer, they no longer fit when he closed his mouth. They looked like fangs of the story book blood suckers. Ears extended and the armour lining his back and tail now crept up his neck, over his head and to his nose. Ridges extended above his glow eyes. They were not red or yellow or orange, these eyes were pure blazing white. He had doubled in size now to be as tall as I stood. Long muscled legs ended in metallic looking claws the length of my hand, 3 on each paw. The skin was different to mine when I normally change. He had a ripple of dark orange running through the inky black.

He seemed to finish the change bellowing another grinding howl and a snort and went back to focusing on Xillon. Lowering his head he snarled ready to leap at his target he looked vicious.

"Wow" I whispered in amazement. Jaxxon bristled with anger and looked ready to destroy at the slightest provocation.

"Control your companion lest I make an example of him" Xillon commanded calmly.

"You do it, he looks a little fired up to listen right now" I was genuinely intimidated.

"He chose you as his commander, your word is law. As he would say, it is proper"

I strode up to Jaxxon and stood between him and Xillon cautiously I raised my hand. "Jaxxon you do not need to attack him. I am not hurt." He stopped the snarling and closed his mouth. Looking up at me confused he tried to purr, it came out as a softer stone grinding sound this time with a light ringing mixed in.

"You can keep stay in this shape as long as you need to. You will go back to normal when you calm down and relax. Do you understand?" another grinding purr came from him.

 _"I will show you what you look like inside your mind, do not be scared, I am pleased to have an impressive looking protector and friend"_ I pushed and image of him seen through my own eyes into his mind. He got a little wild eyed at that and let out a whimper.

 _"Don't be scared Jaxxon. You are an impressive looking beast"_ the reassurance calmed him. _"I will show you more about what you can do later. For now just relax and clear your mind. You will go back to normal"_

Xillon stood beside me "Your friend is impressive and bold, traits that will serve him well. Training has concluded for today." Xillon walked towards the castle and I felt his presence in my head again.

I had my friend back and despite my objections to begin with he really was impressive, and now he would be with me to my last day, whenever that was going to be. After he had calmed down and returned to normal he followed me back to our quarters and went straight to my bed. I guess it became our bed.

"Don't get too comfortable young man, we need to talk" and we did, at length. Explaining what had happened to him was not easy when he still did not understand some of what I was saying. I had to try and explain demonic energy infusion and transformation to an animal was like trying to explain to a twelve year old the dynamics of war strategy, In Svendish. Jaxxon is more intelligent than a twelve year old anyway so he picked it up pretty well. It was getting pretty late by the time we had finished talking. We skipped Lunch and took dinner in our quarters. After dinner we sat in front of the fireplace for a while. Jaxxon fell asleep easily. I was just dozing off when Xillon's presence evaporated and faded from my head. I was wide awake in an instant. Fished Genstar's letter out of my shirt and read it quickly. There was no telling when Xillon would return.

 _If your powers of observation are really as keen as claim you will pick up on what I am saying as I hand you this letter._

 _My reputation would have me painted as a warmonger and heartless villain. I am no monster and do not want to see my country in ruin. You can prevent your own country falling if you hurry. Demon hordes are massing as I write this. You have less than a year until they march._

 _I am in no position to stop this conflict from happening, but, I can give my adversary an honourable chance to prepare with a warning. I have made arrangements with trusted advisors to give you the opportunity to escape._

 _I pray you have chance to read this before nightfall and have a mind to wait for the right moment. I have asked Xillon to speak with Mastema on my behalf. I know he sits in your mind as well so now that I assume he has vanished from your mind you need to move right now. The guards I personally trust will be "looking the other way" tonight._

 _When Xillon has disappeared, go to the door and ask the guard if darkness has fallen._

 _May your journey be swift and uneventful._

 _King Genstar_

I threw the letter into the fire and jumped to my feet. Jaxxon was startled but made no sound. "Time to leave my friend" and my heart started pounding in my throat. Jaxxon was up immediately and following me as I gathered what meagre belongings I had. I assumed the belongings I left in Unmar's Inn before we started this expedition were long gone. Jaxxon purred and looked expectantly at me. "Oh! My apologies my friend" I said out loud.

 _"We are going home! Just stay calm, we don't need any unexpected events. Got it?"_ I continued mentally, always is the easier option with him. Once I was dressed and before I opened the door to our room I took a moment to centre myself and replace the mental block. I knew it was probably not worth the effort but I may have slowed him should he return.

"Has night fallen?" I tentatively asked the guard standing beside the door. Without changing expression he turned to nod at the second man posted there and said quietly "You have little time, do not deviate from the plan. You will find supplies for your journey at the inn of Unmar, I believe you know of him and he will be expecting you. King Genstar has made arrangements for you to get out of the palace through a passage in the kitchen. Leave now and remain unseen until you reach the passage. Not all can be trusted so speak to no one. The King has asked that you convey his regrets to the crown of Tadlomar and inform them his co-operation with the demon forces is a burden of obligation. Leave now please." with that he went back to his statuesque vigil.

Jaxxon leading ahead of me was my warning of patrols and random encounters. I knew my way to the kitchen from my wonderings days earlier. Getting there through darkened halls and corridors while keeping from being seen was entirely different. There were a few tense moments when Jaxxon came to a halt before a corner and backed up a couple of steps, meaning there was an incoming guard. The last corner before the kitchen had my nerves screaming inside my head as a guard seemed to be finishing a shift looking for a late snack almost bowled Jaxxon over. "If you're the one sneaking out, your sneaking needs work" he glared at me disapprovingly. "Get moving, the shift has nearly finished." and he carried on in the opposite direction.

"Hey" I called as soft as I could, he turned and said nothing waiting for me to speak "Tell Genstar I owe him for this". The guard took a feigned puzzled look "Owe who for what? Just go".

The passage was not hard to find, they are usually in the back of store rooms and this one looked like it had been used recently. I found a torch and we dove into the dark passage scurrying like rats. It was just shorter than head height cold dark stone walled. Genstar was good enough to even have arrows directing us. We flew through those dark tunnels for what seemed hours. I know my heart did not stop thumping the whole time, constantly feeling like we were being chased. My senses were working overtime giving me a pain in my head that would drop a horse. We came to the end of the tunnel crawling and found ourselves in the stable of an Inn somewhere near the centre of the city. The moon was still high in the sky so getting my bearings was difficult. I climbed the roof of the stable and up the side of the Inn. The castle was still dark and the city was for the most part silent. We were close to the central marketplace and I could see roughly which direction to head in. I took just a moment, the cool breeze felt wonderful and I filled my lungs with freedom.

An hour later we reached the Inn of Unmar, dark of course. I decided to try my luck with the lock. I was not exactly skilled in the art of lock picking but what else could I do? As it turned out Unmar was waiting for me and heard my attempts and opened the door.

"Did it not occur to you to juz knock my frien?" I shook his hand and went inside quickly. "I haf yo supplies in ze back, yo mus leave before ze castle vakes up yah?"

"Good idea Unmar. I cannot thank you enough, but I will, I will be in contact after I get home. For now you need to pack up and leave Zeous. Something is coming, something that will destroy this city"

"Yah yah, sure sure, yo must move qvickly"

I changed my clothes and had a quick meal Unmar had waiting for us. "Zere is a horse out ze back".

"Thank you again Unmar, if you pass through Attmore City ask for Hemming Supply. They will find me"

"Yah yah, now go boy, you are vasting time" and he waved me off. It wasn't the last I heard from Unmar. More on that later. I left Gotharn in behind me in darkness knowing that it probably wouldn't be the last time I was in the Zeosian capital city. The sooner I got to Preterri the better I would feel. I had spent quite enough time in that city for now and my need to see my family was the only thing on my mind.

Chapter 11

It had taken two days to get to Gotharn on Jed's caravan that seemed to trundle lazily through the countryside, through fields of grain and crops and rolling hills. I barely noticed any of my surroundings on the way back. Two days had turned into half a night and till mid-day the next day resting only to water the horse occasionally. Reaching Preterri was a welcome sight. By no means was it the size of Gotharn but it is a lot easier to hide yourself in a port city if your ever in need of one due to the variety of people, you blend in much easier. Port cities almost always had a larger underworld criminal society to go with the blending of people. Aside from all that, the heady scent of the sea air was always a favourite of mine. Sea ports always had the rotting fish and garbage smell that turned stomachs. Preterri port authority had fines and punishments in place for dumping any kind of rubbish. That, while strict and tedious, made it one of the more beautiful ports in the world.

I knew by then that Genstar would have been obligated to send a search party after me. If not Xillon himself would be coming to chase his ward. I didn't have much time and had to find passage back to Attmore City. I did not expect it to be as difficult as it was. The military presence here was far greater than last time I passed through here. There was also far fewer faces from distant shores. Things were definitely getting more tense and showing signs of building tensions. I spent the rest of the day trying to buy my way onto ship with little success. Seems trust was becoming more and more rare. I had too few options left and time was running out. Genstar's troops were no doubt not far off and I still had nowhere to go. I had almost given up when I thought I recognized a voice in a heated discussion about the price of sacks of grain.

"I am already loaded and you change the deal? This is unbelievable! Is it any wonder trade is dying on these shores." It was Bilso. I could scarcely believe my eyes. He had not changed at all. My hopes went soaring like a falcon I barely kept my cool. I was going to get home. I had to play it down, as I mentioned. Trust was not common.

Casually I strolled towards Bilso with Jaxxon right behind me.

 _"Jaxxon try and stay out of sight but don't lose track of me"_ The docks were still busy with the fading light and Jaxxon trotted further past Bilso sitting down in a coil of ropes. Bilso glanced down at the unusual sight of a Braldo in Preterri and his mood changed instantly. His temper cooled and became more agreeable with the short balding man he was arguing with.

"I can't believe I am letting you rob me! Fine! I will pay your price. There is barely any profit now you know? I don't think I will be back to this part of the world any time soon." he threw the pouch of coins at the shorter man's chest. "Get out of here before I change my mind". The man's sly grin, Bilso's mood change and the way he paid the man leave quickly let me know that Bilso knew I was close. I had just reached him and was about to say hello.

"Do you know how much I just lost on account of you hunter?" He didn't even turn around.

"No but working for the crown means your profits won't suffer too greatly I imagine Bilso" He faced me and grinned like he had found sunken treasure.

"So, any chance of a ride home?"

"I don't know, I have been warned not to trust foreign faces. I suppose for lost little hunter I can show you the way home. Come on" we both laughed.

"Bilso things don't have long before it gets crowded on this side of the pond."

"We know. Let's talk about that on board over a couple of drinks. There is always someone watching you know." Bilso ushered me towards his ship.

After we had boarded and were clear of prying eyes and ears standing on the stern of the ship looking over the sun setting I felt a little safer. My future looked a little brighter and I could breathe easier. "We have a year before he starts moving his forces. Demons and men alike. He is a puppet Bilso. The ruler of a nation has been reduced to a puppet. If I didn't see it with my own eyes I would never have believed it. He looks like a beaten man, proud, but beaten."

"Are you getting soft on the enemy after your little holiday?" he nudged me and chuckled.

"He doesn't want to be the enemy Bilso. He wrote me a letter telling me that he had no choice to help The Lord of the abyss or his nation would be destroyed."

"The lord of the abyss? By Cralloc!" he swore "Mastema himself is getting involved? Did you see him?"

"No. He is using a demon named Xillon to be his voice in this world. I don't know why he didn't come himself. Maybe he can't?"

"We need to get you to home. King Tagolar needs to hear this." he turned and called to his crew and took a deep breath. "ALL ABOVE BOARD! LET'S GET THIS FAT ASSED LADY UNDERWAY! WE ARE HEADING HOME BOYS!"

"Quite a way with words there Bilso" I chuckled.

"Well it all comes natural after a while you know."

The journey was quite rough at that time of year, there were storms coming up from the south and Bilso, like most seasoned captains, sailed right through them. It took three days to cross the ocean with me spending a lot of time at the rail feeding the fish. The first sight of Attmore City was enough to take my mind off my churning stomach and bring a smile to my face. I had grown slightly and the buildings were getting taller, interesting to say the least. It hadn't felt like very long for me of course but the world had not seen me for the best part of a full year. I wondered how things had changed. Bilso had told me King Marthon had died recently and his son Tagolar had stood up to the throne. The old military forts across Tadlomar were being fixed up and a new recruitment drive had been building steam. So far they weren't resorting to conscription but it was only a matter of time. I had no doubts The Crowns Hunters were going to be pressed into front line warfare. I tried not to dwell on it too much. There was even talk of an expedition into the mountain range behind Winger Post to find the eagles. Although not much consideration was given to the idea, there would be no time for training. The eagle roost however was being fixed up and used to house troops. I would find out more details once we docked.

It was midday when we had finally gotten to the dock. Soon as I was able to, I thanked Bilso and asked him where the hunters den was. I told him I had a business proposition for him when he was passing through Wingers Post next. I headed towards the market place to find one of my drivers. It wasn't hard. We had a decent sized presence in the city. After some asking around I found the warehouse Dalfin and my mother had purchased and decided to make a little inspection. It was run by a tall thin man with blonde moustache and blonde hair tied back. He looked to be nearly thirty and not the type to sit around and watch people do the work. I asked him to get a message to my mother on the next wagon going to Wingers Post. He asked who I was of course. I didn't think he would believe I was Mistress Hemming's long lost son.

There was no telling how long I was going to be held up going over my story with King Tagolar. He had not been on the throne long from what I had heard, a relatively young king, looking to prove himself. He would have plenty of opportunity soon enough. I went directly to the place Bilso described as being the hunters den. It was a poorer part of the city to the south, opposite end to the Citadel on the hill. A blue breasted falcon above the door. It took me near an hour to find the faded image above the door on a rundown building on the verge of falling apart. I went in and found a man sitting at a broken table reading a book of the saga of Dexom Whey. One of the more published and sought after writers of the time. He paused to look at me critically raising an eyebrow.

"ew are ye and what do ye wan?"

"Well judging by your choice of reading material I would have to say that you are guarding the entrance to the place I am looking for." I walked up to him and held out my hand. He rose and took it. I placed my hand on his shoulder "The abyss grows colder by the day".

"By the actions of the crowns hunters." was his reply

"By the will of the crowns hunters."

He smiled and his voice had totally changed. "Which station are you from?"

"Wingers Post"

His expression got a fraction more analytical at that. "P has put someone new out there?"

"No my friend, let's just say I have returned from an extended mission to Zeous." His eye grew wider.

"I heard stories, half demon fighting his own kind. It's you?" His expression turned to something like awe. "I thought you would be bigger. Here, through here." he lifted the table that was attached to a section of floor to reveal a ladder going down into dimly lit room.

"I kind of expected more for the capital city station."

"This is not the headquarters. Forecom is the main office of the crowns hunters. Didn't you know that already?"

"I have had very little to do with the administration side of things. Inspector P and I don't really see eye to eye after I offered to give him a personal demonstration of what the beast inside can do." The man grinned.

"Most of us have thought about that I can assure you. Head on down Inspector R will want to see you for sure."

It was a smaller station than Forecom, similar design. Main hall with fire place and some tables. I noticed a rather shorter man trying to casually feign interest in the work at two of the tables and work his way to my left. I decided to play. I walked toward the fire place getting some looks from the people on the way. Reaching the end of the small hall I asked someone at the table closest if Inspector R was available.

"He will be with you shortly" was the reply without glancing up at me.

"Or he is coming up behind me right now" I said to no one in particular as I turned to see the small man standing there with a polite smile.

"Your powers of observation are very astute." He extended his hand. "I am Inspector R. Is it true? Are you our lost hunter?" he was a little excited. Normally I didn't enjoy people making a fuss about who I was or what I could do. R had a different quality about him that I found relaxing. He was my favourite of all Inspectors over the years.

"In the flesh sir." and bowed playfully.

"My, it's been..."

"Too long." I interrupted

"Ahh, yes there are all kinds of stories around the stations about what happened. Some say you turned into a demon permanently, some said you joined King Genstar's forces. There were of course the few that held tight that you would find your way home. Wrangler Benharmon of course defends you vehemently. It nearly got him locked up once."

"How is Ben? And my station?"

"For the most part they are all well and good. They took leave on their return to our shores. Understandable in my eyes, you will agree?"

"Of course, you said for the most part inspector?"

"Call me R, please. Yes, "his expression changed to something more like regret. "There was an, incident. Young mister Christoph seemed to take your capture rather hard. Once back here he became a recluse. Would refuse to take part in missions and there were reports that he was becoming violent towards his station. Then one day he disappeared." The regret in his voice mirrored his expression. It was clear that R was more than a little reluctant to talk about it.

"King Tagolar and Inspector P will be able to give you more answers about that. Oh, you heard that Tagolar has taken his father's place on the throne?"

"Yes, Bilso mentioned that. What happened to King Marthon?"

"Simple illness it would seem. He wasn't able to shake off the winter chill. Tagolar handled everything very well, a pillar of strength for his mother Alecia. He will be a great ruler like his father."

"There is word that the military is gearing up I hear? I had my mother and business manager tender an offer to supply the upcoming campaign. Is there any word on who will get the contract?" I was of course hopeful. R on the other hand sighed and shrugged.

"Matters of business are like Svendish to me. I don't understand or try to. My passion has always been the hunt. In my prime I got out there whenever I could. You will have to ask Tagolar about matters of business I am afraid."

I spent the afternoon being debriefed and retelling my story to R. It was more than a little painful to recall some parts, reliving the fear and the fury that tormented me. R was genuinely interested in everything I was talking about. I could see him vicariously reliving the days of his adventuring through the lands of the world. The recent demon activity had ignited that fire inside him again. Being 'stuck in a glorified cellar' was not the way he wanted to live.

"So why are you not out adventuring and hunting anymore? I see the fire inside you, your almost running to grab your sword as we speak."

The smile faded from his face and sadness touched his eyes as he reached for his right shoulder. "I am lucky to be alive to be honest. I am the sole survivor of a squad that encountered one of the first demons to be reported in Tadlomar. We were escorting some mid-level crown functionary to Attmore City from Uktou, the Sleynis capital, and we had stopped for a night on the edge of a forest that is probably not even there anymore. We had just started to set up camp and heard a distant screech. Thinking nothing more of it we settled down and started the watch rotation. It was a short time after eating and most of us had bedded down next to the fire, the two on watch woke everyone up saying the screeching was coming closer. We didn't pay any attention and told them it was just bats." He sighed and shook his head. "Next time I opened my eyes it was the screams of sheer panic and nightmarish howls of pain." his blank expression was speaking volumes. He relieved that night often. His eyes conveyed it all, the terrorizing fight for life, and the heart crushing desperate aftermath. "It was as dark as the abyss is itself. Even in the fire light it was like a living and breathing void. So quick, the claws, so much blood and the screams" he was trailing off caught in the fight for his life all over again. After a moment he came back to reality blinking the darkness away and taking a deep breath. "Oh! My apologies. I do carry on some times. Yes, so that is the reason I have been relegated to telling other men to go and fight these foul and evil things. That and I took an arrow to the knee. I woke up hours later with a severely dislocated knee and broken thigh. My shoulder was shattered and I a massive gouge had been taken out of my lower back. I considered myself lucky to be alive after that. Two of the team were missing, they must have taken the commanders head because that was gone too and the rest of them, about six in all, were dead along with the escort." He was still able to keep a genuine level head about the tragedy. Many would have lost the will to live or tried to find their reflections on the bottom of a bottle. That was what I liked about R. He never played the victim for very long. He got on with what he had and if he wanted more out of any situation, he got it himself.

R accompanied me to the citadel the next day where I met our King and his buzzing bees, forever busy with something mundane yet all so important.

"Our man back from his holiday on the other side of the pond!" I had been warned the King didn't take his job extremely seriously. That is to say he was about as serious about ruling the country as a chulloc could be serious about the finer points of blacksmithing.

"King Tagolar." I bowed formally as per the instructions of R. Who also told me the king would say... "What are you looking at down there? Anything interesting I should join you with?" Inspector R was a pretty much word for word in his prediction of the king's behaviour.

"Young hunter! Please call me Tag. If we are sharing a keg of ale you may refer to me as Taggy and if I am talking to a beautiful woman you must refer to me as Pinky, tell you why later" and he let out a boisterous laugh and put a hand around my shoulder. His mane of blonde hair and almost charcoal eyes together with his average, yet slightly muscular, build were enough to get him a reputation as ladies' man. His boyish looks and charm are what proved his ladies' man status. I could not help but like the man, informal as he was he still wore the robes and crowns and doublets his father did. He respected and loved his father enough to do anything his father asked of him, even if it meant dressing like a buffoon, as he put it.

"Now I have no doubt your biting to get home to your mother and friends, my good man but you simply must regale us with your harrowing and lengthy journey to the land of the monster king Genstar." after what I knew of Genstar that title caused me a little internal conflict. He had a reputation but in my opinion it was entirely unfounded, after what I had experienced and seen.

My own personal opinions aside about Genstar I retold my story and the implications for the western kingdoms. This is when Tagolar took on a serious tone and I saw what Bilso meant when he said that he would be a great king.

"Send messengers to Svendorth and Sleynis at once! We need to convene and prepare for this. Genstar and his demons will not catch this little lad with his pants down!" at this point the men with their little stacks of paper waiting for the Kings signature went into a frenzy. Have you ever poked a bee's nest just to watch them go into panic? It was very similar to that.

"Genstar sounds like an honourable man. He aided your escape to be sure. For that act alone he deserves the respect he is attempting to show us, however, he is still coming against the west. He must be treated like an enemy even if he is being threatened with is his own destruction. The man is truly damned if he does and damned if he doesn't act. I do not envy his position." He placed a thoughtful finger to his chin. "I must find a way to communicate with the man." almost saying to himself.

"It will be difficult with the demon Xillon taking residence in his mind seeing everything that Genstar does. The only time he couldn't see into our minds was when he was communicating with Mastema. Perhaps we could capitalize on that Sir?"

"I like you." flashing one of his charismatic smiles. "You're a mirror image of me, if I was a half demon, monster hunter with the perception of a falcon. You know that?" he let out another boisterous laugh. I have to admit, I chuckled at that too. "Now, with regards to your tender for supplying our military. I have another idea you might find appealing. Let us share a mug or three of ale and discuss it." I was reluctant to be held any longer in Attmore City. I was jumping to get back home, to my family. My mother would give me a serve if I was rude to the king and if I didn't take every opportunity to grow our business.

"Lead the way Pinky!" I said with a sigh. At hearing that he looked at me shocked, as did the entire briefing room. Then Tagolar lost his grip on his senses and exploded into belly jiggling laughter.

After the first couple of ales in the kings briefing room the king mentioned, oh so casually, that not only did we secure the contract for the supply to the military. The king made it clear that he would fund our efforts to find better ways to supply and equip the troops. We would be expanding into research and development it seemed. He said that fighting demons was going to be tougher than anything these troops have ever seen and he wanted them confident in their equipment and resources. It was then that I, encouraged, him to look into the Key Holders and told him I would do the same.

"The energy they use is extremely versatile, the applications are limitless." He was very enthusiastic about that idea.

"We have been looking at that very subject for years. The amount of energy that is generated just does not come anywhere near the amount we would need to make it viable. There is also no way to store the energy except within the Key Holder. They take so long to recover also. For now we need to focus on equipment, weapons, armour and feeding our boys." Disappointed as I was I could see his points. We would focus on what we could get ready within the year to be prepared for the coming conflict.

"I would like you to send some people south to Sleynis. Their shamanistic tribes have some healing techniques or abilities that I would like to explore. Your friend, Perdu, he is from there isn't he?"

"He was outcast from his tribe and had his tongue cut out your majesty" Hearing that title made him wince like he had painful gas.

"Please don't call me that, Tag is great, thank you. Well Perdu will stay home then. Send your Wrangler, Ben. You go with him, you will need to stop in and see the Chief down there. What's his name?"

"Gabriel sir, I mean Tag, sorry. I can't issue orders to my wrangler Tag."

Waving that off "Chief Gabriel, sounds like a girl's name doesn't it?"

I flashed a quick smile.

"We need to get these fellows to the south to rally with us. Since you were lucky enough to see all that" waving in the general direction of Zeous "loveliness over there you, as a personal friend of mine, will be my emissary. Oh, you will need a horse to get there! GIVE THIS MAN A HORSE! Guard! Give this man a horse when he leaves!" at which point a guard in shiny armour stood in the door way and nodded without changing expression. Tag smiled like he stole my last mouthful of breakfast. His playful nature would be very easy to be offended by, I saw this now. It made me realize something right there. He is not the serious king that his father was and he did not want to be the king, well not this young. He was reaching out. He was the boy that you saw standing in the window unable to come out and play. Wishing he could wrestle in the mud with the other boys and chase the girls. He had natural charm and charisma that he used to make up for lost time with the girls in the bars when he was able to slip out of the citadel. He never got to play.

"You don't have that many friends your own age do you Tag?"

He regarded me with an appraising eye "The rumours of your perceptions are an under estimation my friend, I shall call you 'The Brain!' quick, someone issue an order an official name change!" the charismatic grin faded a little as he looked into his near empty mug "the truth is quite simple and bluntly as you put it. I am surrounded by men that shove paper in front of me and say yes to anything I ask. It is quite the bonus that I inherited not only the crown but my father's keen mind and can actually run this little company we call Tadlomar. These men offer nothing in the way of genuine opinion and are always too proper to have some good dirty fun. The women in the taverns are no different. Half of them recognize me and the half that don't are only in a tavern full of drunken men for reasons less than honourable."

He sighed a heavy sigh and drained his mug. "I have not been steering this ship for all that long my friend" as he put his feet up and put a hand on my shoulder "but I know where were are going as a nation and I think I deserve to have a friend or two to celebrate the good times with and to take my mind off the bad times with." By now the ale had started going to his highnesses head, so the lopsided and slightly dim witted smile made him seem like the little brother I never had. "Are you up for the task of being the royal best friend?"

"Pinky, It would be my royal honour" I nodded, he roared his approval and we both filled our mugs. "Just don't call me the brain". Laughter and stories filled the rest of the night, from what I remember it was almost like being back in the Riders Rest with my friends.

Chapter 12

The next morning the king had one of his key holders muffle the throbbing inside our heads. Before I left I went to call on Tag, as he asked me to refer to him as, to say my farewells. He gave me the choice to make it a friendly request, or a royal order, to come back and share another keg of ale with him. Giving him my promise I left him to manage the remainder of his sore head.

"OH! Take this!" he pressed it into my hand, a sealed letter. "Read it on the journey" with a wink and a hand shake I left.

The horse was a magnificent animal. A smooth near shimmering velvet black coat with a gentle and affectionate nature. Jaxxon got a little jealous of the admiration I was showing. That is to say, he started behaving like a spoiled child. He would not move when I called him, would not listen when I spoke to him. _"You are behaving like a cub Jaxxon"._

 _"Jaxxon sees you have a new favourite pack member"_ He snorted and trotted towards the gate.

 _"Jaxxon will always be my best friend, now behave properly please"._

The horse had a new saddle and saddlebags. I even saw a shiny new sword resting in a new sheath resting on the bags.

"She's one of the crowns finest animals. King Tagolar himself rides this one often." The stable hand mentioned. "Her name is Jamilah. Means beautiful girl in some language I am not entirely familiar with."

"She lives up to the name. I think this one is getting a little jealous though" I nodded at Jaxxon. The stable hand reached into his pocket and crouched next to Jaxxon offering him the treat that he wolfed down readily. He started humming instantly.

"He is a fine Braldo indeed, very strong and powerful" He gave Jaxxon a scratch behind his ears. That was enough to cool his tantrum quickly. I thanked the stable hand and saddled up smoothly sending a gentle image of the horse moving forward into her mind she did not flinch or show any sign of panic. We set off for home and I could not get there soon enough.

This horse was accustomed to getting plenty of exercise and loved to gallop. Jaxxon was grateful for the open space and freedom too. He darted in and out of the fields lining the road chasing rats and hunting down his meals. He was a changed animal, In more ways than one. On occasion I had to remind him to reign in his intensity when spines started sprouting from his back. The pain he had endured during the infusion clearly changed him. He told me that he didn't feel that kind of pain anymore. I wondered if it would have been the same if I experienced it the same way instead of being born with it.

During the trip I had slowly introduced myself to Jamilah. Gradually building her acceptance, and trust of my invasion into her head. She handled the strange concept very comfortably, a very open mind. Jamilah was a very proper, no nonsense type of horse and had been trained to take an armoured rider into battle. Her idea of fun was the heat of battle with swords swinging and shouts coming from all directions. I got the impression that if she could talk that her and Oak would get along very, very well. Like I said, she was an affectionate animal too. She loved to be rubbed down her neck and scratched under her chin. Her patience was second to none, Jaxxon tested that regularly. He would dart between her legs and nudge her. Always trying to sneak up on her.

 _"One day she will kick you accidentally if you keep doing that, maybe on purpose if you provoke her"_ I said that so that both of them would hear it.

 _"Your companion will not best my temperament. He is playful and harmless"_ her tone was not condescending more so 'matter of fact' and kindly.

 _"He is your companion too Jamilah, Jaxxon says we belong to a pack. He sees me as the pack leader and because I have accepted you into our pack he wants to know where he ranks now"_

 _"Jaxxon is always pack leaders preferred."_ he was now boasting, to a horse he just met no less.

 _"I am not able to lead. I was trained to be an extension of my rider. I do not believe I have a rank."_ Jamilah was slightly puzzled by the idea at first _"I will prove myself worthy of any rank the pack leader assigns me."_ she said with a little pride.

 _"In that case, I suppose it would be a good idea to make a couple of things clear in case something does happen or we get into a fight of some sort. I don't want you to get surprised by the things that Jaxxon and I can do."_

I then explained to Jamilah exactly what kind of pack she was now a part of. She showed quite a bit of interest in our abilities and did not shy away when we demonstrated them. She inspected us each and commented on how we smelled differently and that she was under no circumstance carrying me if I chose to remain the size of a wagon. I thought that was fair.

A couple of days later we started seeing some familiar sights. My excitement was growing wings with each step towards home. Jaxxon was the same, the closer we came the more it seemed like he was playing host to a nest of ants in his fur. Then we came around a bend in the road and I saw it in the distance. In the afternoon sun I saw home. The orange and gold sunlight made it sparkle and my memories started erupting filling my head till no more could fit. Tears were welling in my eyes as the overflowing memories drove my heart to thump harder.

"Let's go Jaxxon!" I called out to him already pounding the ground with his paws. A little trail of dust rose behind him.

 _"Jamilah, are we going to let him get there ahead of us?"_

 _"No pack master we are not."_ She gave a snort and grunted as she drove her hooves into the dirt. We were flying. Drawing closer to Jaxxon gradually, Jamilah thrived on the competition. She pushed harder and we caught Jaxxon just on the outskirts of town.

"Go and find mother Jaxxon!" he didn't answer and continued to hurtle towards Hemming Supply. I slowed Jamilah as we came into town. It wasn't long before I saw the familiar sight of my mother running towards me followed by Jaxxon. My heart sang at that point. I jumped off Jamilah and ran towards her. I caught her in my arms and swung her around. Of course she was crying, and my brave face cracked and tears rolled down my cheeks too.

"My sweet boy!" she sobbed into my shoulder over and over. I hugged her for the longest time. It was the longest I had been away from her, and for my mother the span of time was ten times longer. Finally we walked back home where Dalfen greeted me with a look of pride. "I ope I ave done you proud as you ave done us Mr Hemmin`" He shook my hand and leaned in. "Ifen you don't mind sir, I took yer family name an the role o' Mr Hemmin' two seasons ago." Then I embraced the man as my father as my heart sang louder than ever.

"I couldn't be more proud" I looked at my mother "of both of you!" I could tell there were changes in my mother, she had a few more grey hairs and some subtle lines in her expressions that were not there before, she was still beautiful and youthful. It was the changes inside that were most pronounced. She radiated a happiness and a willingness that was not there before. She was more relaxed and comfortable with herself and a little more outspoken. Despite the anguish and trauma of my extended absence, Dalfen must have been the rock she needed just as she was always the one I needed. She will be happy.

That night The Riders Rest played host to the entire town of Wingers Post. Ben and Milli bought their children, Oak and Perdu escorted Christoph's sister. I was home again.

I knew it was not for good, I knew there was a catastrophic storm approaching and we had work to do, but that night I forgot it all and remembered who I really was. I was my mother's son, Ben's brother, Jaxxon's best friend, Oak's drinking partner and I was at least part human. I caught up with the details of our business deals and got to know my new father better. I also got more details about Christoph's disappearance.

"He was talking about not being able to sit around anymore. Something about being told to find the reason behind it." Ben was just as puzzled as I was. "Belinda was hurt most of all. I don't understand it, he was utterly devoted to her and then he seemed to have forgotten about her. Good thing that Oak and Perdu have taken to looking after her, she had two big brothers in those two now. Although I am sure that Oak has more than that in mind. What do you think about it all my perceptive young friend?" Ben was getting me up to speed on what had been going on.

"I am totally in the dark with this one. It definitely does not make sense. That is the only solid thing about it. Did he say where he was going? A direction at all?" I was hopeful.

"Nothing, he just kept saying something about going to find the reason behind it all."

"The only thing with that kind of influence is the abyss isn't it?" the realization of that sent shivers down my spine. Christoph was smarter than that.

It was perhaps a week later when Ben came into the store holding a letter in his hand. "Are you up for some exercise? P has a job for us."

"Sure, where is it?"

"That's the thing about it. It's up there" Ben pointed up over my head.

"The thing inside my head is not for killing old bean."

"Not unless it is doing the killing aye what" Ben fired back.

"Indeed"

"Quite"

Then my mother politely interrupted. "Just because I know what you do on these hunting trips now does not mean that I want to hear about it. Take it upstairs boys"

"Yes Aunt"

"Yes mother"

I started packing immediately "so what do you mean by 'up there'?".

"It's in the mountains behind the eagle rider's fort." he was smiling, smiling about going into the mountains, into the cold. Why?

"Why are you smiling about this then?"

"Eagles" He was grinning ear to ear like a child.

"No one has seen any eagles for years." I was sceptical that they ever existed to be perfectly honest. "We will have to ask Oak and Perdu to do it. You and I have been requested by King Tagolar himself to travel to Sleynis on a diplomatic and research mission. We are to talk to Chief Gabriel and talk about an Alliance against the demons of Zeous."

"Well that sounds boring" Ben pouted. "What about this research?"

"I have also been asked to obtain information about their shamanistic healing abilities. Tag has told me he wants me to do some research into improving the equipment and weapons for our army. Since Hemming Supply is going to support the military like that. You know you really should give some thought to being a business partner." I was just boasting then.

"Tag?" Ben was raising an eyebrow.

"Pinky when we are drinking and womanizing" I smiled.

"So you just ever so casually mention that your close friends with the king of Tadlomar?"

"I will tell you all about it on the way, we have to stop in Attmore to pick up some supplies and coin for expenses anyway. I will introduce you my good man." My smug expression quickly faded to an infectious laugh that Ben found hard to resist.

"You continue to surprise me old bean. Oh, and incidentally. I have been a silent business partner for two seasons."

We sent Oak and Perdu to investigate the eagle sightings while Ben and I headed to Attmore city. I introduced Ben to the king and we shared another keg of ale. The next day we started the long journey to the south heading for Sleynis, and the capital city of Uktou. It was an uneventful journey with the weather cooling slightly as we drew closer to winter, autumn was definitely coming to an end. The further south we got the less we noticed the temperature change. Ten days of travel later and we were nearly at our destination. They say that nearly the entire country was covered in a vast forest that reached to the southern shore. They of course cut roads throughout the country but most of it was inaccessible by wagon and a good half of that was inaccessible by horse. Chief Gabriel had trading outposts build as hubs for groups of tribes in areas of the country. It gave the tribes there own privacy yet let them stay in contact with the world outside their little piece of forest.

They sley people didn't often fight amongst each other, well no fights big enough to be of any notice. Generally a peaceful people, they held onto their traditions and lived with their land rather than off it. If a tree decided it wanted to grow in the middle of their villages, they made room for the tree to grow and treated it like a member of the village. Tribal elders spoke for the forest around them and listened to the will of the trees water and earth. It was they who interpret the will and direction of the tribe and forest around them. They are not the slow, dim witted tree dwellers I make them out to be. They also keep their eyes looking outward extremely curios people. Very progressive and are interested in innovation, being in communication with the rest of the world and adapting foreign ideas that will benefit the forest and the tribe.

We followed the larger road through the forest, the bigger the road got the closer you are to Uktou. I always enjoyed traveling through Sleynis it was always so beautiful and tranquil. Sunlight danced through the canopy while the life in the undergrowth showed no sign of being startled by the humans that went past. The scent of damp forest floor laced with the flowers made a potent mixture that was not displeasing. I got to enjoy it as we travelled. The positive energy that flowed through these valleys and tropical mountains seemed to permeate every part of you, more so when you were open to the idea of it. Jaxxon even asked permission from me to hunt here. Normally he would just tell me what he was doing with a short purr and disappear. He was in awe of the beauty of this country too. Jamilah of course being the open minded individual she was felt it before most of us. Without touching her mind I saw her comfort and confidence, there was an extra bounce in her step. Ben took a little longer to settle into it but he said he was thinking clearer and feeling more refreshed the further we went. Perdu must have been torn apart inside leaving a country like that. I gained a new respect for him on that trip.

We met a few travellers on the way, mostly Sleys, all of them smiling and on the verge of daydreaming. Not many of them rode horses. They asked their horses permission before riding and if the horse was disagreeable about the idea, they were more than happy to walk.

I was awestruck by the capital. We emerged out of the forest into, well, it was less dense forest. The difference was the size of the trees here, they were more than massive. Expansive tree trunks were as wide as I am tall, soaring up through the canopy. The people had taken building not only around the trees but in the branches too. The traditional houses were round mud colored buildings with cone shaped roofs. They were made of logs, branches and anything that the forest supplied. Some houses were 'still growing' or started to regrow after being built. Making the houses blend seamlessly into the surrounding emerald expanse. Temperature was warm but comfortable and there was a cooling breeze that seemed to come from all directions at once.

As is the norm with most major cities the larger houses were always closer or inside the capital and this was no exception. There were houses surrounding the trunks of most of the trees in clusters that shared a common garden and fire pit. Also houses seemed to be growing out of the trees and branches. Some houses were suspended off branches, all connected with a web of walkways and platforms. I had never seen anything like it, truly a marvel. A huge market place was at the base of the central tree set out like any other market place. This one was not lined with buildings on all sides and the stalls were set up in clusters like the houses. The centre of the city is where the biggest tree stood. This tree was ten men across at its base and almost double the height of the surrounding trees easily. The houses in the branches were of every kind of configuration and again, defying gravity, seemingly hanging in mid-air.

We asked for directions to the Chiefs house a few times before we found someone that spoke the same language as us. Their own language was a combination of hums, pops and rolling tongues. I was later told it evolved from the sounds the forest makes, rustling leaves, snapping twigs, humming fire. I liked the sound of it. After a while we were directed to a large building hanging high over the market square. Climbing the walkways and platforms was tougher than I thought. The view once up there was breath taking, looking down over the market place and surrounding city. I had to look twice to see most of the houses. They all blended in almost perfectly. We got up there after much panting to be greeted, actually greeted with a smile and good manners, by the guards standing either side of the door. Who then showed us into the large hall suspended in the trees.

Chief Gabriel was of course just as friendly and polite as his people and welcomed us like family. There was much feasting and much dancing and singing. They did not drink ale that often they used the forest fruits and certain berries that had unique properties to create a drink that was very similar to the effects of getting drunk. Quite delicious too. The next morning there was also no hang over. Why they didn't sell this or trade this to other nations I will never know.

We continued in Uktou as guests of the chief for a couple of days, discussing the impact the demons would have on Sleynis and doing my best to steer the chief to the reluctant topic of the healing arts known to his shamans.

"We can give to you some recipes, for the healing techniques that we use and teach to you the way to make these things. It is a great sadness we cannot teach to you the connection to the world around us and how to use the connection to heal wounds. This is something Cralloc has given to my people alone. I will send envoys to King Tagolar at your request to discuss a mutual agreement for protection of my people." It was with a pained regret that I learned the healing arts of the Sley people could not be learned. The people had earned their "gifts" as a result of generations of harmonious co-existence with the world around them. This ability was literally in their blood. It was brave and selfless that the chief would offer his people to the aid of ours. Our efforts would be a collaboration of wills against the tide of the abyss.

I had extended a hand of unity on behalf of Tadlomar and our neighbours to the south met our proposition with a smile. The journey home gave me hope against the coming war, If we could work together to face the odds of adversity so readily. We would stand a chance at holding back the demons. We would of course have the Svendorth army at our backs adding momentum to our cause also. We had this little scuffle in the bag. So I thought.

Chapter 13

After reporting back to the king with Ben we headed back home to see that Oak and Perdu had finished in the mountains investigating the eagle sightings. It seems there was a tribe of 'caretakers' living up there living in secret seclusion from the outside world, in direct co-habitation with the eagles. The numbers were small possibly in the vicinity of twenty or thirty birds and a tribe of fifty people. They regularly travelled down for supplies but always did so in secret. They were still very wary and standoffish regarding the outside world, however they did speak to Oak and Perdu about re-joining the world after they learned of the force that was massing against us every day. They found it so easy to remain hidden due to their little oasis they had. It was a massive expanse of a valley that was completely surrounded by mountains. They didn't experience the seasons like the rest of the world because they weren't living between the peaks.

They agreed to send an emissary to Attmore City once they had made their own preparations. Oak mentioned their reluctance to even re-join the rest of the world but faced with annihilation the needs usually outweigh any preference to let the world just go by.

No matter the group, race or individual, we all had to come together and combine our efforts in the face of total destruction and survive. This was tugging at the prime instincts that drove us to survive. This would be the remaking of human kind. The Deter wars were nothing compared to what we would face. Genstar came against us by himself that time. He directed his efforts at Sleynis primarily. It was nothing more than an effort to subjugate the people and harvest the richest source of wood and other assorted plants on the planet.

I knew very little of the people to the west of Genstar's borders at that time. They were a dark skinned people similar to the Sley people. It is said they shared a distant heritage once. They shared the land Zeous now occupies thousands of years ago. It is also said that an argument over an arranged marriage between tribes turned sour when the bride, Sleynarsa, was found dead. The groom, Hvolmeh, was found delirious and babbling about a half man half bird with the tail of a lizard. He told them he saw "eyes that burned" and was deafened by an explosive roar inside his head. He soon after took his own life unable to live with what he had seen. He threw himself off the mountain that Genstar's ancestors built a palace into. Both families refused to believe the other and Sleynarsa's family left the land and obviously ended up to the south of us in the forests to claim a life of peace and harmony never to let another conflict divide them again. The Hvolmeh family stayed until an upstart ancestor of Genstar appeared in their history with a large tribe he claimed came from across the ocean. The Hvolmeh tribe was soon forced off the fertile land and then claimed the massive desert to the west as their home. Since then they have held a grudge against everyone they come into contact with. They were displaced once, they were not going to let it happen again.

To that end King Tagolar decided to leave the Hvolmeh people to their own devices. Tadlomar had always had a close relationship with the Svendorth nation. We treated them as cousins that lived next door. The hospitality of the Sven people was eagerly offered to most that needed it. They are one of the oldest races of man on the planet and had worldly knowledge that the Tadlomar people used to survive some great natural disasters through history. We owe them our existence and they ask for nothing in return. The northern spirit was strong in their blood, something they were very proud of. It is said that to survive in a blizzard you hold each other close and share the warmth and resources of the ones around you. This is the main philosophy around the Svendorth way of life. "Embrace your neighbour as your brother and he will sustain you" is an old Svendorth saying.

The cold season was not as harsh as it could have been, and for that we were all very grateful. That meant our crown tender and research would get more resources and attention. I believe at that stage we had our fingers in a number of promising theories. Oak was looking into stronger metals and materials that would be used in a variety of areas. As I recall Oak was one of the first to discover the combination of lightweight and durable properties of Svenish Cold Steel. His people are quite proud of their discovery, and just in time to go into production for the coming battle.

One and a half seasons remained and there was still so much preparation to be done. There were supply camps dotted up and down the length of the continent, Including Uktou. The Sley shaman's were ready and more than willing to travel far and wide to fill the role of field doctors and healers. They came from across the country, there were far more shamans than I had anticipated. A bonus of having the sley shamans and their exotic concoctions was the powders and potions they put into improvised grenades and onto arrow tips. Normally chemical warcraft was frowned upon due to the volatile and cruel nature of some of the effects. Not to mention the collateral damage of shifting winds that could drag clouds of powder back onto the friendly troops. With the threat of a demon army and the expertise of the shamans handling the agents involved It was deemed acceptable.

In addition Perdu was put to work teaching the secret hand signals to unit commanders and message runners. He had a natural talent for it and made it a lot easier for him to communicate with a wider range of people. This of course appealed to him immensely. Tag had Ben and I on the road almost non stop. Jamilah and Jaxxon didn't mind so much. Jamilah loved the exercise and Jaxxon never could turn down the chance to hunt prey all over the country. He was particularly fond of the Greater Water Hens to the south near the border. They were like oversized Chulloc with long tail feathers and had a more earthy flavour infused in the meat.

We also got promotions to Inspector Captain. That in itself didn't really mean much apart from more responsibility and extensive travel. The toys and perks were appreciated of course. Jaxxon and Jamilah both got promotions too, theirs weren't exactly written in stone but I could have sworn the other horses dipped their heads to my Jamilah and Jaxxon's exuberant nature was tolerated by everyone with more ease.

There was a demand for engineers and any kind of scholarly citizens to be part of a crown funded research program to develop siege weapons. There was limited experimentation with steam and new volatile powders to hurl projectiles further and faster. We persuaded the eagle riders to train the eagles to be able to carry larger explosive devices. They were extremely reluctant about it, but again, faced with widespread annihilation their proclivities were relaxed substantially.

Time was running out and the troop camps were expanding around the supply stations quickly. We were as prepared as we were going to be. There was constant training drills on engaging different types of demons as well as mixed unit tactics. With the date of engagement drawing closer the major cities were fortifying with siege engines. The limited Tadlomar naval force was patrolling with the larger more experienced Sven ships being given final repairs and fitouts near the primary ports up and down the coast. The higher ranking officers including Perdu, Oak and nearly all of the messengers were called to Attmore City for a final debrief. Tag was pleased to see the royal best friend return to the capital at which time I was ordered to participate in nearly 2 straight days of drinking and horseplay. He needed it so I was happy to indulge him.

Chapter 14

 _ **War is described as taking place in a theatre, theatres are described at a place where art is created and performed. When an act of war is described as art, I see an ugly and lasting scar permanently damaging the human identity for generations to come.**_

There was an emerging and deepening air of tension settling over Attmore City. There were scares few left of the civilian population left. Mass evacuations were conducted and refugee camps were set up to the east of Wingers Post. There were rolling hills and wide plains there that now contained countless rows of tents for thousands of people. There was another camp south near the border just north east of a town called Vartch. It was the largest centre for trade outside of Forecom and Attmore. Ideal for a supply base and refugee camp.

We had columns of warriors from the east swell our ranks and provide support and guard for the refugee caravans and camps. The Svendorth army were more of a gathering of tribes under different chiefs. They wanted to ensure the safety of the supplies and citizens before they send what troops they could to the coast. They were welcomed like brothers by the Tadlomar troops and Sley Shamans. Combined our forces numbered in the thousands for the defence of the city. Word from other ports were the same. We had the numbers to be confident of repelling the attack. Time would tell.

In the coming weeks there were reports of scouting forays along the coast that told horrific tales of acts that physically weakened me. There has always been a chink in my armour. Being able to touch the minds of others for so long had, even at that early stage, rendered a gap that has been filled with raw and unfettered emotion. I extended my thoughts towards the villages and towns these stories came in from. Their horror, pain, anguish and shear terror on more than one occasion forced me to shift into the monster. More than once scaring the living Cralloc out of anyone that was around me at the time. I thought it best to get the troops used to mine and Jaxxons demon shapes after that. I didn't want to find a Tadlomar or Sven spear in my face in the heat of battle.

Before long there were reports of sightings and encounters along trade routes and near towns. We had troops still heading to their posts or patrols that handled them with mixed success. I realized then that the Crowns Hunters main purpose of taking discreet care of demon sightings had become more a part of every day life than was tending the crops when I was a boy. Life had taken on a whole new meaning since then. I wondered how much more it could change once that storm of conflict had abated.

In the coming days it was the cage inside me that caused more noise than the reports coming in. I needed to let the beast inside me get some exercise, Jamilah and Jaxxon could see my agitation. They too felt like a loaded trebuchet waiting for a target.

Final preparations were being made with the dock buildings being fortified and archers lining the roof tops, additional Sven ships were pressed around the bottom of Sleynis to patrol the coast. Attmore was now almost a ghost town, with the eerie nights walking through the city. The market square awash in the moonlight outlining the silhouette of rats scampering between pieces of debris. Corners and alley ways pitch black seeming to breath in the shadows. Although a couple of weeks without people had lessened the odor of garbage that sometimes accumulated. The small pleasure that remained was the taverns that remained open on the kings orders. It was one of these eerie nights that Jaxxon, "Pinky" and I were on quietly walking through the dim twilight towards a favourite watering hole that I remember most.

"Do you think I'm a good king?" it was a question coming from a child inside the king.

It surprised me that he asked "Of course. Are you doubting your fearless and intrepid style of ruling your kingdom?"

"That's not what I meant." He stopped walking, his eyes still studying the ground. We were at the edge of the vacant market square. "When all this is over and done, win or lose. Will people look back on this war and say 'King Tagolar did everything he could. King Tagolar was a driving force that kept us in the fight. He never gave up and without him we… ' I don't know. Maybe there was some way to avoid this"

I pressed gently on his mind and felt a broken and conquered man, a child fearing a thrashing after breaking a window.

"Your majesty" my voice was firm as I took a knee in front of the young man that I had come to call my friend. "If it pleases you, my lord. I will remind you of the unquestioned and unwavering faith that your court and your people have in you."

I had not called him by any formal title since we met.

"Get up! Don't call me that. I'm being serious." Was the plea.

I stood and his eyes now followed me. "forgive me Tag" without waiting for a reply I threw the flat of my hand across his head. His mop of blond hair fell into his face. I saw his eyes flash and his jaw clench, I got what I wanted.

"That there!" pointing at his face "That is why your people and your court will follow you into the abyss. That fight inside you is what makes you the King that they need." I shoved him throwing him off balance. As he regained his stance he leaned forward and now his fists were clenched. "These demons are threatening your people and the country your ancestors helped build and, just like now, you are ready to defend it and yourself with pride." I raised my voice and took a step forward, I hoped that would fire him up. "Is your father going to see a lose little boy crying in the dark and regret what he sees when he looks down on you? Or is he going to see his son, the king, looking into the abyss as it comes towards our shores like a gaping and hungry mouth. Will he see you scream at it in defiance of oblivion ready to defend your people?" His chest swelled and the look of fear turned to a cocky sneer. His momentary flash of anger at my disrespect melted and he saw what I was doing.

"How do you keep surprising me?"

"Tag my good man, It's all part of my charm" with a flourished bow I head him chuckle.

"Now if your done assaulting me, shall we?" he gestured towards the tavern.

It was at that moment that War had reached our shores. The gaping mouth of the abyss made its appearance on the horizon told by the bells and calls of alert building throughout the city. Tag had already turned and started bolting towards the citadel and Jaxxon was right behind him. I sent a message to Ben who stayed in the citadel _"Send the messengers out. We are on our way back up there. It's them, Genstar and the demons have been spotted."_ I could have sworn I woke him up.

Minutes later there were near a hundred men and woman on horseback hurtling through the streets on their way to deliver the word to the kingdom that we are now engaged.

The citadel was like a nest of ants, people going this direction and that. We went straight to the war room to put plans into motion.

"How far did we get with the steam weapons?" Inspector R asked.

"We have come a long way but there is nothing we can use with any great ease" One of the lead engineers replied. "We have had more success with the volatile powders and compounds. They will throw the cannon balls further than before with limited mishaps."

"Mishaps?" R raised an eyebrow.

"The new steel being made for the weapons. We only had enough for the arms for the military. The older cannons are not strong enough to take repeated firing with the new explosive." The engineer apologized.

"We will make do with what we have." Tag interjected. "We can take it a little easy on the cannons to limit the 'mishaps' "

"Sire, it is to dangerous" It was Inspector P.

"P look out that window and tell me if what you see sailing towards us is any less dangerous" Tag's steeled gaze begged no response. "Now what of the eagles? Can we expect their help?"

Oak stood up "Your majesty I have been in routine contact with them. It seems they have had sightings of the demons also. They have a renewed sense of co operation with the crown and not only will the eagles carry the bombs they have been training to fight in direct conflict with the demon forces."

"That's wonderful and all but where are they?"

"I wanted to ask if the captain here would be able to send word more directly to them" Oak nodded towards me and tapped the side of his head.

"Good thinking.. ahh.. do you have a title my large friend?" Tag asked Oak.

"Yes sir, I am Hunter Garett. Out of Wingers Post station" He recited with pride.

"Oh no no, your efforts will be recognized. As I understand it, it was your efforts with the Sven smiths that produced our new steel. You have taken up the efforts to gain the support of the eagle riders. With the captain here heading my research and development of equipment. I need someone to implement these new discoveries. How would you like to be my Master of arms?" Tag delivered that with a winning smile.

"Ahh, Sir. You have a Master of arms and he is good at his job" One of the generals said quietly to the king.

"Oh, Well then. We will give you a job playing with all the new toys. Does my current Master of arms need a second in charge?"

"I will find out sire" The general bowed and left.

"So be it Garrett. You will get yourself a payrise and new toys to play with."

"Thank you my King" Garrett bowed and sat back down.

"Now Captain Wiggles. If you would be so kind as to send that message to, what is name Hunter Garrett?" promotions always put the king in a good mood. He seemed to think clearer when he was smiling.

"Earman Sire"

I levelled a look at Tag. "Will you stop calling me that?"

He only chuckled as I held up a hand and attempted to reach Earman. I can't remember ever trying to reach that far to a specific person I had never met before. I had no way of knowing it would work.

My thoughts stretched out towards the mountains. Towards the general location where I was told they lived. _"Earman or anyone of his kin, if you are able to hear me. We need you to come now. The demons are on the horizon and heading towards us."_

"I have sent the message I have never done it before so I can only hope it worked."

"How long until they make land?" R asked.

"Just before dawn from what I am told" Ben supplied.

"Lets hope the eagles get here soon then. We can use them for long range bombing before the demons reach shore." Tag was hopeful. "Captain keep trying to reach them please."

The rest of the briefing was locking details in place about troop placements and the roles different units would take. A couple of hours later things were coming to an end and weary heads of the twenty or so generals, captains, advisors and Inspectors were starting to slump.

"I had some words of wisdom planned for this moment. Words I thought would inspire you all." I took the liberty of attempting to amplify the Kings words beyond the walls of the room and beyond the walls of the citadel. This address should be heard by all the troops. "Words don't seem enough right now. As someone near beat into me earlier tonight. We are about to face the gaping mouth of the abyss men. We are about to face the biggest threat to our home we have ever faced. I for one am far from letting that weigh me down. This is our home after all, and our fathers and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers spent their lives building our home. I am not willing to let my home be threatened by anyone or anything. What right do they have to what we have made? How many of you think we should just lay down and let those demons and Zeosian armies take our home? I will not lay down! I want our ancestors to look down on us and be honoured by what we are doing. How many of you will stand at my side when the great mouth of the abyss stands on our shore? How many of you will do your ancestors proud by showing the demons that we are not going to be brushed aside! We will face the darkness the dawn will bring head on and side by side. This is OUR home, and we will never give it up without a fight!"

From everywhere at once there was cheers and applause. I was told later that I had pushed The Kings voice across the cool night air to cover all of Attmore City.

It was a couple of hours before dawn when we started our way towards the fortifications at the docks. I turned to the king "Tag, I do not care what words of wisdom you have or motives you have but you are not going to face the darkness of the dawn. You are too important to be on the front line. I have come to love you like a brother, a little brother, and as such I am telling you to take a horse and your personal guard and head go to Wingers post fort. I have already made arrangements for the court and high ranking officers to use that as our command post." He was shocked to say the least and began to protest. I laid my hands on his shoulders. "Don't make me bring out the monster and drag you there myself."

"You can't do that! I am the king!" His protest were half hearted.

"We need you to keep being the king Tag." At that point the kings guard rode up with his horse.

"Sire, the caravan awaits you" A guard informed him.

"Brother indeed!" Tag muttered under his breath.

"As your brother I am ensuring your survival." I called after him as he was lead away.

"Old bean you are brave enough to annoy the king" Ben slapped my shoulder.

"His heart is in the right place Ben. We have to keep it there. He really is a great king." My eye's followed my friend out of view. Then Ben Jaxxon and I headed down to the fortified dock.

Chapter 15

The eagles arrived perhaps an hour after the kings address, they heard my call and took wing as soon as they could. There were nearly fifty of them, both rider and bird in light leather armour and shining helms of the new lighter steel. They were put to work immediately carrying the large explosives overhead of the approaching ships. They stayed well above the range of any arrows. There were a couple of incidents of injury after they took fire of some kind of energy bolts hurled from the decks of the ships.

They described the ships as massive beetle like vessels with sails like wings out to each side. Easily twice the size of the Svendorth ships, and half the speed. The explosives had damaged ten or fifteen of the ships and managed to sink three more. We cheered at hearing that. Until we were told the number of ships coming was absolutely vast. Hundreds of them.

We sent the eagles up and down the coast as fast as the wind could take them. We needed numbers headed for the other locations. I knew they wouldn't return until the battle had started. Scouting missions were the best thing for them. They were valiant and honourable for joining our forces but with numbers so few it would be a tragic loss if they were to be wiped out.

The cannon thundered into life as soon as the ships were in range.

The sun was climbing from its slumber below the horizon to show us the overwhelming darkness about to make landfall on our shores. Ugly behemoths of ships shaped like bugs of some description black and shining the small deck on top of them crowded with shard throwing Tamza fiends and hooded and robed demons hurling balls of bright purple energy. A cannon near the citadel fired and exploded sending shards of steel in all directions. The screams started, horrible screams of agony.

Archers started releasing clouds of arrows over the ships and some of the fiends screeched as they fell.

"THEY CAN DIE! WE CAN HURT THEM!" I amplified my call to the entire dock and ranks of archers on the rooves behind us.

The calls went out for the archers to focus on the tops of the ships. Then the closest of the ships crashed through the wharves as the massive black shell lifted in one piece like a clam.

"STAND STRONG!" one of the generals called. "I plan to go home after this! WHO'S WITH ME!"

A roar of agreement came from all who heard the words.

The first demons that leapt from the clam like opening were half spider half man, the size of a horse. Corse orange, red and yellow hair covered their bodies and great black pincers like fangs protruded from their mouths. They carried wicked looking blades and moved at a blurred speed. It was hard to keep track but I counted four of them all scrambling up the walls of the dock buildings to the archers above. Seconds later cries of pain joined the cacophony of commands, cannon blasts and weapons clashing with the next wave to emerge from the ship. Zeosian soldiers, all carrying spears and stout swords their shining armour and horned helms made them look intimidating enough.

"We could use the big scary right about now my good man!" Ben loosed an arrow and nudged me with an elbow. "Get out there and tear them up old bean! Jaxxon looks like he is itching to do some damage too!"

" _Ok Jaxxon let's send these demons back into the ocean"_ I felt the familiar wave of adrenaline and power surge thought my body. My eyes tinted red and I felt the beast break out of his cage. The demon filled me up from the inside and I roared my arrival. Finishing the transformation I thought it best to cover myself with a little more armour. The Zeosian soldiers hardly flinched as I lept over the barricade. I took a deep breath and aimed my inferno breath at the opening of the ship. Everything in between burst into flame instantly. The smell of burning flesh was everywhere. The enemy soldiers made little of the pain they were experiencing. Those still able to stand kept fighting. Those dying, fell burning. I extended my claws and started laying wide arcs around me. The blood was sent into the air like curtains.

I felt the impact of a blade hit the plates of bone on my back, then a frustrated screech filled the air. One of the spider demons closed in on me. I swung my arm backward aiming the sharp spike of bone armor towards the beast. It was quicker than I gave it credit for and avoided the blow as if I was in slow motion. There were more troops coming from the ship. Other ships had joined the first and crashed into the wharf or into the buildings that lined the waterfront. More spider demons emerged followed by troops creating a moving carpet of the enemy. My attention turned back to my attacker. It was swinging furiously at the armour on my arms. The blades merely scratched and marked it. This wasn't going to be that difficult after all. Throwing a hand full of claws into the things face I was caught by one of the large fangs. The pain was more excruciating than I had expected. It melted the flesh on my hand quickly and an uncontrollable rage swelled inside me. I stomped my foot down onto one of its lets and threw my shoulder into its chest. I heard a snap and the leg fell limp. Before it had time to register the pain my rage compelled me to clamp my hands on each fang and rip them from the demons face. I was pleased to see that my wound was already healing.

Now without its fangs it too had started to throw frantic swings at me in a rage. I took another breath and aimed it towards the beast with all intentions to incinerated what was left of its head, before long it fell to the ground. Looking around I saw the dock was now a sea of spears and shining Zeosian amour. I called to the archers, some still fending off the spider demons.

"Fire!" The sound of my booming voice was sent further than I expected. Shortly after a thundering volley of canon fire tore through the next wave of ships.

"Someone help!" came a familiar voice. I turned quickly to see Ben being quickly surrounded by enemy soldiers.

 _"Jaxxon, I need you to help Ben right now!"_

There was a howl and the imposing shape of Jaxxon came barreling around a corner towards Ben. Wasting no time Jaxxon sunk is jaws around the shoulder and upper torso of one unsuspecting soldier, with a quick snap of his jaws broken ribs left left the soldier screaming. Jaxxon tossed him and moved on to the next.

I glanced again down the dock. "This will be fun" I muttered to myself as the excitement continued to rise. I took a breath and let out a lung full of a blast that melted the armor of some nearby soldiers clearing just enough room to get some momentum up. I picked up a blade from a dead spider demon and launched myself towards the far end of the dock through the undulating waves of combat. With my wide swings and sharp claws cleaving limbs and dismembering anything that stood in my way. Fountains of bright red blood marked my path. The limbs of both demon and soldiers showered down in my wake. Another volley of cannons crashed through the ships. Still some ships limped to the docks burning and spewing thick black smoke.

I continued cutting a swath through the sea of armored soldiers and snarling demons not slowing my pace in the slightest. Towards the end of the dock I paused to pull a spider demon off the side of a warehouse to the cheers of the archers on top of it. A dreamlike malaise settled into place inside my mind like a morning mist it closed in. My battle rage was fading into a peace that was hard to shake off.

 _"You have nothing to fear in my presence."_ I knew exactly who it was.

 _"I won't fall victim to your control again Xilllon"_ The anger was a volcano ready to explode. The peace I felt before was obliterated and clarity swept my slate clear.

 _"Clearly I have underestimated your strength"_

I cut off his smug voice _"Shut up! You will never control me again! Any notion that you had of making me your puppet will never come to pass! Now leave me alone!"_ It was a release I can not describe. His presence inside my mind was now shaken and losing grip.

My exuberance was then shattered with his next words.

 _"Indirect control or direct control, the method employed is of little consequence. Your will is mine to direct as our master pleases. A final thought before my presence fades from comprehension perhaps? Would you feel so bold and full of bravado if you knew that our master has anticipated your indigence? You are not capable of being in different places at once I think."_ And Xillons voice was gone.

What did he mean? It was enough to send a shudder through me, a cold gripping dread was creeping over me and penetrating every part of my enormous body. Let me tell you friends, fear can be a powerful motivator and driving force. The intentional vague nature of the statement left a hole inside me. My momentary lapse of concentration left me open for the sword that slid into my chest. The world was heavy and slow for a few moments as I looked down watching the blade was extracted, leaving a decent size wound and a fountain of dark blood flowed like a river from the opening.

The crimson curtain fell heavily to veil my vision. I remember feeling disgust at actually being hurt. It angered me that someone would dare cause me harm. My eyes followed the blade to its owner, a simple soldier in blood spattered bronze.

"You do not deserve to live you foul example of a...". He never finished his insult. I clamped a hand over his head and crushed his helm onto his head and felt crack after crack as his skull became a miss happen mess of its former self. An arc of blood painted the sky when his body was thrown like a spear into the closest group of soldiers. They stumbled and fell over each other and were instantly set upon by Tadlomar troops.

The scene was now utter chaos, ships burning and vanishing beneath the dirty waters of the harbour. Debris, bodies and random limbs cluttered both the surface of water and beneath the feet of the combatants on the dock. Still many more ships were pressing to make landfall with a full capacity of eager soldiers and demons. The banks of cannon still unloading at will with the thudding of a terrible heartbeat over heads. A thousand screams in every direction combined with the sound of cannon and sword this truly was the distinct sound of war.

 _"Jaxxon, are you with Ben? We need to regroup."_

 _"Jaxxon is protecting Ben. He is impressive for one so small."_

 _"I'll tell him you think so. Stay where you are. I'm coming."_

The remaining archers on the rooftops were thinning fast under the hail of crystal shards being hurled by the chittering little demons on the ships rails.

"Archers! Fall back and regroup on the far side of the market square! Go!" I had to get the upper hand back, the archers would cover our retreat. The enemy was still pouring onto the dock like a broken dam. Thick oily smoke was engulfing some of the buildings along the water front. Our soldiers were falling, the moral was plummeting just as quickly. We had to do something. The far side of the market square would bottleneck the enemy.

I picked up an zeosian soldier in each hand and started sweeping wide arcs making my way towards the northern end of the dock and found Ben and Jaxxon tangling with a spider demon. I let out another blast from my furnace holding to get the beasts attention. Ben skipped behind Jaxxon and let go of an arrow. It skittered off the demons armour harmlessly. I didn't enjoy being ignored.

"HEY!" And I propelled the mangled and broken bodies of the soldiers at the demon. That seemed to get its attention. Hissing and clattering it's oversized fangs in my direction. At that moment Jaxxon took the opportunity to sink his own fangs into the demons arm reefing down hard.

"Good of you to show up old bean!" Ben slashed at the demons abdomen.

In no mood for joking around after my talk with Xillon I shocked Ben a little when I indelicately took hold of the demons free arm and drove my knee onto the demons back with such force the sickening snap of its spine instantly got the attention of some of the surrounding soldiers and even the enemy troops. Ben finished off the beast with a couple of well placed arrows.

"What has you all dark and stormy, you know, apart from the little exchange of unpleasantries going on around us?" I knew his light hearted take on the situation was merely a cover. He was more than a little on edge about how the battle was going.

"Pull our line back to the far side of the market. The bottleneck should hold them for a while." And Ben issued the order quickly.

"Ben, the city will be lost this day. Get Oak to destroy the docks with those cannon! We have to slow them down."

"We can't! We have to take the dock back!" The protest was half hearted, he knew I was right.

"Xillon spoke to me, he said I can't be everywhere at once or something to that effect."

I watched my brothers face dawn with realization. His blood and dirt smeared face lost all color as he pieced together the plot before me. He was experiencing a multitude of emotions one after another. Then as he spoke it fell together for me too.

"I can get back there quicker than you. When you can, take Jamilah and get home." I turned to Jaxxon and laid a hand on his head. "Jaxxon I need you to protect our brother and explain the situation to Jamilah. Then come home with Ben." He snorted his disapproval.

 _"Jaxxon does not want to be separated from the pack master but will do as you ask"_

I didn't have time to argue I just focused on getting home with all the haste my legs could muster. In my other form I had incredible speed at a full sprint. Great leaps and bounds would eat the distance like it was nothing. It took mere hours to get close enough to Wingers Post to see dark smoke twisting into the sky. I got closer to see that houses were burning and hear cries of pain.

I drove my claws into the ground as I pushed harder.

As I drew closer there were a few last remnants of a group of demons, approximately locked in a skirmish with the remaining soldiers. I launched myself into the air at a great distance and sailed towards the group like a burning arrow. I slammed into the scorched earth between the two groups, the tremor was enough to stumble a couple of the soldiers and they scrambled to their feet like new born deer.

Before the soldiers raised their weapons to take on the new perceived foe I bellowed "STOP!"

Both demons and soldiers were visibly shaken. Looking directly at the soldiers now.

"I need one of these spawn of the abyss alive." With a bloodlust rising within the depth of my fiery gut and a chilling smiling I turned to the band of unnerved and agitated demons.

"The rest need to be kindly returned to the foul abyss from where they came. By any means you see fit."

The now demoralized demons put up little resistance and with my help were cleaned up quickly.

When all but one of the beasts were either out of bow range or fading back to the realm from where they came one of the soldiers cleared his throat and rather timidly asked.

"So... Ahh... W...who are you?" He was still holding tight to the hilt of his sword with his shoulders ready to swing.

"You can put your weapons away. I have lived here all my life."

"Not by the light I would say!" He clearly did not believe me in the slightest.

"Restrain this thing and I will show you who I am." I tossed the small fiend to the ground in front of the man who spoke. I took a deep breath and cleared my mind. No mean feat in my frame of mind at that point. Nevertheless I felt my body revert to my human form as the eyes of the soldiers grew wider. Amid some oaths I won't repeat here I heard someone say the name Hemming.

"I had heard rumors of you, only stories of drunks and greenhorns. Never did I think..." Leaving it hanging he went back to restraining my captive.

I will not go into explicit details about my interrogation process but needless to say you could imagine it was extremely painful and the screams would have been enough to curdle milk into cheese. That little fiend told me that The Lord of the abyss had given orders to capture my family and bring them before him. The silly little demon thought it would be funny to insult my mothers virtue at that point. It was then that I nearly destroyed a neighbors barn teaching the little monster a lesson.

Jamilah carried Ben into town the next day with Jaxxon by his side.

 _"Jaxxon has escorted Ben home with the horse packmaster."_ I greeted Jaxxon with our traditional greeting and lead the trio towards Hemming supply where I had instructed the staff to start re supply and refit of wingers post at no cost.

"We have to go back across the ocean? You want us to go to where the demons are coming from? You think we are going to dance right between them giving our biggest painted grins?" Ben was less than enthusiastic.

I only leveled a slightly pained look at him.

"Yes, well, I mean of course we 'have' to go, old bean I just don't..." He was digging himself into defeat before we started.

I continued the look of pain and threw in a touch of concern. He would not only agree but apologize for having any kind of reservations.

"Do we even have a plan?"

"Glad we are on the same page. I won't mention to my mother how you were too scared to go and rescue her."

"Yes yes ok, but have you forgotten I don't change into a large demon with the bad breath of a blast furnace? How do we get there?" His plaintive tone told me he was more than a little scared about this journey.

"Well, do you plan on swimming?" I asked. "Let's get back to the capital first and I'll talk to King Tagolar."

The little demon told me that my family were not going to be harmed in any way. So that meant only one thing.

"Oh so this will be almost like walking into a trap?" Ben knew exactly what the situation was.

"I don't see any other reason he would have taken them. Xillon can't control me anymore. He has to fine a way to manipulate me."

"I have a small problem with walking voluntarily into traps or trap like situations. They tend to be a little one sided, usually not my sided."

"Do you have a better idea?" I knew he didn't but I almost hoped that he did. "Well? I don't like this either you know? It's not going to end well. I know this, but short of convincing the entire eastern kingdoms to go to war for my parents then it's a voluntary trap situation."

It was about then that I thought to myself, what would I have to lose now if I tried to contact Xillon or Mastema? Demon armies already have landed on our shores. Presumably they already have my family and my location means nothing to them now. What could it hurt to try and get some information?

"That is not a good idea!" Ben was almost chiding me.

 _"Jaxxon does not approve of this idea, packmaster."_

"Look, we have nothing left to lose. I'm going to try anyway. Jaxxon you need to put those blocks in place that I showed you." I wasn't taking arguments at that point. Jaxxon snorted in disapproval but did what I asked. I went to my room upstairs and began to concentrate, turns out reaching out to a god, was easier than I had expected. When that god is forever trying to find you I guess it's easier too.

 _"You surprise me my child. I had not expected you to reach out to me so soon."_ It was a profound surprise. His words thrilled me that I could get one up on The Lord of the abyss. _"I expect you have learned the fate of your loved ones then?"_ his voice flooded into my mind like a swollen river over a waterfall. _"You can lower your defenses my child. No attack will be bought upon you by me or Xillon."_

 _"You want me to surrender myself then?"_ I could only assume that was his intention. _"You're using my family as a lure into a trap, but it's not really a trap if I know that's what you're trying to do right?"_

 _"How very astute of you my child, it gives me great pride to know I chose the right vessel for my gift."_ The surprise had now turned to a smugness that slapped me with every word.

I opened my eyes and turned to Ben who was a little wide eyed.

"You're right, it is a trap. They are ok but he still insists upon playing this game like I am his property to be toyed with. What's the matter with you old bean?" I could see he was eyeing me a little apprehensively. I looked down and saw the darkness start to mottle my skin shimmering like the surface of a lake disturbed by a skipping stone.

"Oh, yes, sorry about that my friend. He was provoking me." I let the frustration wash out of me.

 _"You are playing a game you won't win."_ It was bluster and bravado at that point. I didn't want to unleash the beast without warning my already on edge brother.

 _"I know your workings better that you think I do my child. I am no mere demon to threaten and taunt."_ The weight of his power was pushing against me now. There was no intention behind it but the mountainous force put me in perspective. I really was the insect to his elephant. _"Do not make me punish you my child. I must have you know your place, and by the time you submit to me you will know."_ Learning how insignificant you are is a humbling experience. It can also give you a target to aim at. Even an insect can take down an elephant with the right poisonous bite in the right place. My resolve gained a spine after that. I was going to take the fight to the monster and I was going to win.

"We are going there. We are going to get my family back and we are going to make Mastema wish he never spawned a hunter like me."

"Oh, right then. Is that all?" He said it as though he was carrying the world on his shoulders, he never once backed down, or flinched at the thought of going into the void. That is one virtue that my brother possessed that gave me so much more respect for him. He would stare down a king if He knew I had his back, he


End file.
